DED Simulation Guide

ANSYS, Inc. Release 2025 R1

Southpointe January 2025
2600 Ansys Drive
Canonsburg, PA 15317 ANSYS, Inc. and
ansysinfo@[Link] ANSYS Europe,
Ltd. are UL
[Link] registered ISO
(T) 724-746-3304 9001: 2015
(F) 724-514-9494 companies.
Copyright and Trademark Information

© 2025 ANSYS, Inc. Unauthorized use, distribution or duplication is prohibited.

ANSYS, Ansys Workbench, AUTODYN, CFX, FLUENT and any and all ANSYS, Inc. brand, product, service and feature
names, logos and slogans are registered trademarks or trademarks of ANSYS, Inc. or its subsidiaries located in the
United States or other countries. ICEM CFD is a trademark used by ANSYS, Inc. under license. CFX is a trademark
of Sony Corporation in Japan. All other brand, product, service and feature names or trademarks are the property
of their respective owners. FLEXlm and FLEXnet are trademarks of Flexera Software LLC.

Disclaimer Notice

THIS ANSYS SOFTWARE PRODUCT AND PROGRAM DOCUMENTATION INCLUDE TRADE SECRETS AND ARE CONFID-
ENTIAL AND PROPRIETARY PRODUCTS OF ANSYS, INC., ITS SUBSIDIARIES, OR LICENSORS. The software products
and documentation are furnished by ANSYS, Inc., its subsidiaries, or affiliates under a software license agreement
that contains provisions concerning non-disclosure, copying, length and nature of use, compliance with exporting
laws, warranties, disclaimers, limitations of liability, and remedies, and other provisions. The software products
and documentation may be used, disclosed, transferred, or copied only in accordance with the terms and conditions
of that software license agreement.

ANSYS, Inc. and ANSYS Europe, Ltd. are UL registered ISO 9001: 2015 companies.

U.S. Government Rights

For U.S. Government users, except as specifically granted by the ANSYS, Inc. software license agreement, the use,
duplication, or disclosure by the United States Government is subject to restrictions stated in the ANSYS, Inc.
software license agreement and FAR 12.212 (for non-DOD licenses).

Third-Party Software

See the legal information in the product help files for the complete Legal Notice for ANSYS proprietary software
and third-party software. If you are unable to access the Legal Notice, contact ANSYS, Inc.

Published in the U.S.A.

Table of Contents
1. Introduction to DED Additive Manufacturing ........................................................................................ 1
2. Implementation of DED in the Mechanical Application ......................................................................... 3
2.1. Methodology and Abstractions ......................................................................................................... 4
2.2. Known Issues and Limitations ........................................................................................................... 6
2.3. High Performance Computing .......................................................................................................... 8
3. Preparing the Part for Simulation ........................................................................................................... 9
4. Using the DED Process Wizard .............................................................................................................. 11
5. Workflow Through the Project Tree ...................................................................................................... 15
5.1. Create the Analysis System .............................................................................................................. 15
5.2. Attach Geometry and Launch the Mechanical Application ............................................................... 16
5.3. Identify Geometries ........................................................................................................................ 18
5.4. Assign Materials .............................................................................................................................. 20
5.5. Apply Mesh Controls and Generate Mesh ........................................................................................ 25
5.6. Create Named Selections for Contact and Clustering ....................................................................... 27
5.7. Define Build Settings ...................................................................................................................... 44
5.8. Perform Element Clustering ............................................................................................................ 46
5.8.1. Element Clustering: Manual Approach .................................................................................... 47
5.8.2. Element Clustering: G-Code Approach .................................................................................... 49
[Link]. G-Code Clustering for Multi-axis Printing ........................................................................ 64
[Link].1. Example ............................................................................................................... 64
5.8.3. Editing Individual Clusters for More Precise Control of Process Settings ................................... 69
[Link]. Using the Cluster Settings Table ..................................................................................... 70
[Link].1. Type and Format of Table Data .............................................................................. 71
[Link].2. Modifying Table Data ............................................................................................ 73
[Link].3. Importing and Exporting Table Data ...................................................................... 75
[Link]. Editing the Cluster Output File Directly .......................................................................... 75
[Link]. Controlling Heating and Cooling During the Build via Parameters (Command Snip-
pets) ......................................................................................................................................... 76
5.9. Define Connections ........................................................................................................................ 77
5.10. Define DED Process Steps .............................................................................................................. 80
5.11. Establish Thermal Analysis Settings ............................................................................................... 80
5.12. Apply Thermal Boundary Conditions ............................................................................................. 80
5.13. Solve the Transient Thermal Analysis ............................................................................................. 81
5.14. Establish Structural Analysis Settings ............................................................................................. 83
5.15. Apply Structural Boundary Conditions ........................................................................................... 84
5.16. Solve the Static Structural Analysis ................................................................................................ 85
5.17. Review Results .............................................................................................................................. 85
6. Supported G-Code Commands ............................................................................................................. 87
7. Object Reference ................................................................................................................................... 93
7.1. AM Process for DED ......................................................................................................................... 93
7.1.1. Details ................................................................................................................................... 94
7.1.2. Tree Dependencies ................................................................................................................. 95
7.1.3. Insertion Methods .................................................................................................................. 95
7.1.4. Right-click Options ................................................................................................................. 95
7.1.5. Additional Related Information ............................................................................................... 95
7.2. Build Settings ................................................................................................................................. 95
7.2.1. Details ................................................................................................................................... 97
7.2.2. Tree Dependencies ............................................................................................................... 100
7.2.3. Insertion Methods ................................................................................................................ 100

Release 2025 R1 - © ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information
of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates. iii
DED Simulation Guide

7.2.4. Right-click Options ............................................................................................................... 100

7.2.5. Additional Related Information ............................................................................................. 100
7.3. G-Code Clustering ......................................................................................................................... 100
7.3.1. Details ................................................................................................................................. 101
7.3.2. Tree Dependencies ............................................................................................................... 104
7.3.3. Insertion Methods ................................................................................................................ 104
7.3.4. Right-click Options ............................................................................................................... 104
7.3.5. Additional Related Information ............................................................................................. 105
7.4. Manual Clustering ......................................................................................................................... 105
7.4.1. Details ................................................................................................................................. 105
7.4.2. Tree Dependencies ............................................................................................................... 106
7.4.3. Insertion Methods ................................................................................................................ 106
7.4.4. Right-click Options ............................................................................................................... 106
7.4.5. Additional Related Information ............................................................................................. 106
7.5. Cluster Settings ............................................................................................................................. 106
7.5.1. Details ................................................................................................................................. 108
7.5.2. Tree Dependencies ............................................................................................................... 108
7.5.3. Insertion Methods ................................................................................................................ 109
7.5.4. Right-click Options ............................................................................................................... 109
7.5.5. Additional Related Information ............................................................................................. 109

Release 2025 R1 - © ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information
iv of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates.
Chapter 1: Introduction to DED Additive
Manufacturing
Additive manufacturing (3D printing) can be a cost-effective way of producing parts, especially when
making use of the design freedoms the manufacturing process enables, such as topological complexity
and the ability to print assemblies in one step.

Metal additive manufacturing is used to produce parts for aerospace, automotive, medical, and other
industries. These are high-value parts that require careful design and manufacturing, and simulation
has long been used to validate the as-built part performance. But the additive process for metals intro-
duces inherent complexities and challenges such that the process itself requires simulation to successfully
produce the parts.

Directed Energy Deposition Processes

In a directed energy process (DED)—also known as laser engineered net shaping (LENS), electron beam
additive manufacturing (EBAM®), wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM), or laser deposition technology
(LDT)—a laser or electron beam creates a melt pool on previously solidified material where blown
powder or fed wire is introduced to add material.

Similar to a powder bed fusion (PBF) process, the DED process produces high temperatures and severe
thermal gradients, leading to significant overheating, distortion, and buildup of residual stresses as the
layers are deposited. The distortion can be high enough to interfere with the application of the next
layer, and the residual stresses high enough to break the part off the build plate or crack the part itself.
Additionally, the residual stresses will produce more distortion when the part is removed from the build
plate leading to an undesirable final shape.

Release 2025 R1 - © ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information
of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates. 1
 Release 2025 R1 - © ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information
2 of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates.
Chapter 2: Implementation of DED in the Mechanical
Application
Target Users
Target users of additive simulations in the Ansys Mechanical™ application are the engineers involved
in the design and analysis of mechanical components, but also manufacturing engineers and technicians
tasked with printing the parts on the machine floor as well as the R&D researchers responsible for op-
timizing the ideal printing process. Current users of the Ansys Discovery™ and Mechanical applications
will benefit greatly from running DED process simulations if they plan to use DED additive manufacturing
to print their metal parts.

Simulation Goals
The goal of a DED process simulation is to predict the macro-level, temperature-induced distortions
and stresses in parts to prevent build failures, and provide trend data for improving designs for additive
manufacturing including part orientation and part build order.

The simulation is not meant to provide detailed thermal or structural results needed for prediction of
micro-level process phenomena (that is, microstructure). The simulation will also not provide detailed
modeling of the welding melt pool. Our complementary offering of Ansys Fluent™ is the product to
use to achieve that goal.

Loading the DED Process Add-on

DED process simulations in the Mechanical application are performed using the DED Process Add-on,
referred to as an ACT extension in previous releases.

Important:

An Additive Suite license is required to use the DED Process Add-on.

Click the Add-ons tab to show the available Mechanical add-ons. Simply click the DED Process button
(in the Additive Manufacturing group) to load the DED Process Add-on. When the add-on is loaded,
the button is shaded blue and a DED Process tab is available, as shown in the following figure.

Release 2025 R1 - © ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information
of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates. 3
Implementation of DED in the Mechanical Application

Click the DED Process tab to access the custom ribbon, which includes a step-by-step wizard as well as
custom load and result objects. These and other features will be discussed throughout this guide.

The DED Process Wizard

Included within the DED Process Add-on is an easy-to-use DED Process Wizard (p. 11). We strongly re-
commend you use the wizard, as it streamlines and simplifies the simulation process. The wizard is an
excellent tool to keep you on track and prevent you from missing a task. There are a few capabilities
that are not available in the DED Process Wizard but you can easily modify your simulation set-up when
you complete the wizard as it does not include a solve.

2.1. Methodology and Abstractions

Simulation of the Direct Energy Deposition (DED) manufacturing process requires that the analysis follows
the print process itself: weld track-by-weld track solidification of the part. Since the thermal (temperatures)
and structural (distortion and stress) physics are largely uncoupled (that is, a weak coupling), we can
simulate the thermal phenomena first and use those temperature results in a following structural simu-
lation.

In a DED process simulation, the model evolves over time, that is, elements are added. We actually
mesh the entire part first with Cartesian or Tetrahedron elements and then, using the standard element

Release 2025 R1 - © ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information
4 of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates.
 Methodology and Abstractions

birth and death technique, deactivate all the elements initially and then progressively activate element
clusters to simulate the advancing build. Here, a cluster is defined as a portion of the weld track. Fur-
thermore, the relevant boundary conditions such as thermal convection surfaces also evolve. The build
process reaches completion when all of the element clusters have been activated (made "alive"). See
Understanding Element Birth and Death in the Advanced Analysis Guide.

The analysis times and time stepping are also driven by the process parameters and are not known a
priori. These details are all handled internally during the solution.

Although a DED process and an LPBF process are similar in some ways, the DED process needs to have
a much more detailed level of simulation. A layer-wise simulation is not accurate enough since the ve-
locity of energy deposition is higher in a DED process and so simulation along the weld track over time
is required. As the LPBF process simulation uses abstractions like super layers (lumping multiple layers
for simulation) and layer-by-layer addition (instantaneous element activation for an entire layer), the
DED process simulation uses the real welding seams and an abstraction known as element clustering.
Clustering is used to split weld lines into smaller pieces of mesh, called clusters, that are exposed to
one temperature in a time step. Thus, each cluster is a portion of a weld track that is instantaneously
activated using the element birth and death technique. Element clusters are deposited following the
deformed shape beneath them rather than in the original, undeformed location. You control the size
of the cluster with a Cluster Volume (p. 46) option. The solve time and solution fidelity are directly related
to cluster volume. The building order of the part can be defined by either applying the G-Code machine
file or by using a manual approach of carefully-defined named selections.

A DED process simulation uses the following abstractions to meet the goals in a reasonable compute
time, meaning much less than the actual build time:

• Macro-level welding simulation: The welding melt pool will not be explicitly modeled. The
deposited material, whether it is a wire or powder, will be exposed by activating individual
clusters of elements at a defined temperature equal or close to melting temperature. Phenomena
such as phase transition will be captured with the capabilities of engineering data or imported
materials rather than simulating these phenomena.

• Clustering: Clustering is used to split weld lines into smaller pieces of mesh, or clusters of ele-
ments, that are exposed to one heat application in a time step. This approach is required to
provide the required accuracy while, on the other hand, limit the simulation time. You define
the cluster volume to control the simulation.

• Heat Application: Heat is applied to new clusters in one of two ways, either an applied temper-
ature or a power-based heat generation. For applied temperature, the assumption is that the
process parameters for the build have been set appropriately so that (1) the developed temper-
ature is always at or above melt temperature (no lack of fusion) and (2) the developed temper-
ature does not substantially exceed melt temperature (no keyholing).

For power-based heat generation, the laser power and absorptivity are specified and a heat
generation load (via BFE,,HGEN) is applied to elements in the new cluster. The value for HGEN
is determined based on how much energy (power, time for deposition, and so on) goes into
each cluster. That energy is then applied over a time span represented by in the following
equation:

Release 2025 R1 - © ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information
of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates. 5
Implementation of DED in the Mechanical Application

where is laser power

is absorptivity

is deposition rate

is simulation loading applied time. The time is controlled indirectly using the Thermal Calibra-
tion setting (p. 97):

– If Thermal Calibration is Off, seconds.

– If Thermal Calibration is On, the Cluster Cooling Time Ratio is defined as and
seconds. is the volume of the current cluster.

• Time step size: Large integration time step sizes are used throughout the simulation. This is
sufficient to capture the induced thermal and plastic strains driving the distortion. The localized
smooth heating and cooling curves will not be captured in detail.

For a better understanding of some of these concepts, review the information on what happens during
the transient thermal solution, under Solve the Transient Thermal Analysis (p. 81).

2.2. Known Issues and Limitations

Review the following issues and limitations for the DED Process Add-on:

General Simulation Setup Limitations:

• The DED Process Add-on is not supported on the Linux operating system.

• The DED Process Add-on requires units to be in millimeters. The add-on checks the unit system
and, if necessary, automatically changes it to the Metric system (mm, t, N, s, mV, mA). This check
is triggered when you open the DED Process Wizard (p. 11) or when you add the AM Process
for DED object into the project tree (p. 18).

• If you use a Mechanical Model from the Workbench application's Component Systems, you must
manually create the AM DED Process system. This is due to the fact that AM Custom Systems
are pre-populated with AM sample materials in Engineering Data, and linking to the Mechanical
Model requires the absence of materials in Engineering Data.

• The DED Process Add-on does not account for symmetry so the entire geometry must be included
in the simulation model.

• In order for DED simulations to solve using Remote Solve Manager (RSM), you must first enable
the appropriate files to be downloaded. Add the file types *.comps;*.par;*.rth in Solve Process
Settings under Advanced > Additional Files to Download. Enter the file types as shown, with
semicolons and no spaces between file types.

• When resuming/restoring an archived DED project created with a version of the Mechanical ap-
plication prior to Release 2023 R1, you will need to clear generated cluster data, generate
clusters (p. 46) again, and then solve the simulation anew, even if you don't modify any inputs.
This is because, beginning with Release 2023 R1, additional inputs are required on the clustering
object and Cluster Settings (p. 70) is automatically added as a child object.

Release 2025 R1 - © ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information
6 of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates.
 Known Issues and Limitations

• DED simulations archived from release 2022 R1 (when the DED extension was first introduced)
are incompatible with later releases. We recommend that you start over with those models in a
later release.

G-Code Clustering Limitations:

• When using G-Code clustering (p. 49), the placement of the G-Code path must align with the
printing part's global coordinate system. We assume a planar tool path in the X-Y, X-Z, or Y-Z
plane, normal to print direction.

• A known issue exists in which results may be invalid when G-Code clustering does not follow
the G-Code path. Always check the progression of element clusters after performing clustering
to be sure the clusters follow the G-Code path as expected. For more information about this
limitation, see Known Issue where G-Code Clustering Does Not Follow the G-Code Path (p. 60).

• The G-Code-Reader does not consider the values of the G-Code E-Command. (See Supported G-
Code Commands (p. 87)). Only E0.0 is interpreted as no material deposition. The actual value of
the material deposition rate is defined in the Build Settings (p. 44).

• Do not change names of element clusters that are automatically generated using G-Code clus-
tering (p. 49). Doing so may cause errors during solution.

Manual Clustering Limitations:

• We recommend using hex elements rather than tetrahedrons when using manual cluster-
ing (p. 47). For some geometries, some tetrahedrons may be excluded from element clusters.

• When archiving a DED project and you used manual clustering, check the option to archive
result files with the archived project:

• If you change the mesh size and remesh after manually generating clusters, the existing cluster
named selections are suppressed. However, re-generation of the clusters and named selections
does not delete previously suppressed named selections, causing an issue when solving the
thermal simulation. The workaround is to delete the suppressed named selections manually before
running the solve.

• For the very specific workflow related to suppressing a body, the transient thermal portion of
the simulation is unable to solve and an error about cluster settings is produced. The workflow
is:

1. Generate clusters for a Manual Clustering object

2. Suppress a build body

Release 2025 R1 - © ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information
of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates. 7
Implementation of DED in the Mechanical Application

3. Clear Generated Data on the Manual Clustering object

4. Generate clusters again on the Manual Clustering object

The workaround is to clear Generated Data from the AM Process for DED object rather than the
Manual Clustering object.

Loads, Solution, and Results Limitations:

• At the assign materials step (p. 20) while working through the project tree, if you leave the Reference
Temperature for the print/part geometry set to By Environment, or set to it By Body but leave the
Reference Temperature Value at the default of 22°, you may see odd behavior in the structural results,
such as missing elements. We recommend that you set Reference Temperature to By Body and set
the Reference Temperature Value to the melting temperature of your chosen material. When you use
the DED Process Wizard, the Reference Temperature Value is automatically set to the melting temper-
ature of the material, or 1000°C if the melting temperature is not defined for the assigned material.

• A bolt pretension boundary condition is not supported in the DED add-on and will result in an error
in the structural solution.

• We recommend you do not add extra thermal boundary conditions/loads on the model other than
radiation and the convection boundary conditions described in this user guide—these are, a) the
convection from the part to the surrounding gas in the chamber during printing and cooldown that
is set in Build Settings (p. 44) and b) the preheat on the underside of the base. Adding extra loads
may cause errors, non-convergence, temperatures to be held at unrealistic values, or other unforeseen
behaviors.

• Occasionally you may see unexpected, high negative temperatures in the Transient Thermal analysis
in the first layer between the part and the base plate. This is a known issue related to severe thermal
gradients. These temperature spikes may be reduced somewhat by changing from quadratic to linear
elements and/or reducing the element size for the part and/or base plate. These negative temperature
spikes may be ignored as they do not have any appreciable effect on the results.

To change from quadratic to linear elements, re-mesh the model with linear elements or use the
EMID,REMOVE,ALL command to remove midside nodes from the existing model. A new solution is
required.

Starting with Release 2023 R1, default contact options are set such that these high temperature spikes
are usually eliminated.

• Restarts are not supported in the DED Process Add-on.

2.3. High Performance Computing

An AM Process Simulation can be very compute intensive. We recommend you use high performance
computing using an Ansys HPC license to take advantage of more than four cores (default).

Release 2025 R1 - © ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information
8 of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates.
Chapter 3: Preparing the Part for Simulation
There are several Design for Additive Manufacturing (DfAM) considerations to be aware of that affect
the cost and quality of your part. Variables include:

• Part design (thicknesses, overhangs, edges, holes, desired surface finish)

• Orientation on the base plate (affects time to print and number of replicate parts that can be
nested on a base plate)

Slicing
Slicing is required if you use the manual clustering (p. 47) in the DED process simulation. Slicing requires
geometrical manipulation, using the Ansys Discovery™ application, perhaps. Consider these hints for
slicing:

• Slicing height must follow layer height.

• Closed loops must be split since each weld line requires a defined start face.

Here is the sliced geometry for a racetrack example.

Cleanup of Facets
If you have an .stl file, be sure to clean it up to eliminate gaps and slivers before importing it into
Workbench.

In the Ansys Discovery application:

Release 2025 R1 - © ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information
of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates. 9
Preparing the Part for Simulation

• Under Facets, the Check Facets and the Auto Fix tools are quick ways to find and fix problems
in faceted bodies

• Use Facets > Thickness to identify thin-walled features

Many additional tools for working with faceted parts are available in the Discovery application. Refer
to the Facets section in the Discovery Documentation.

Release 2025 R1 - © ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information
10 of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates.
Chapter 4: Using the DED Process Wizard
Simplify and focus your workflow using the DED Process Wizard. Step through the wizard pages that
are organized into workflow tasks. Actions take place when you click Next at the bottom of each page.
As you progress through the steps, the wizard automatically adds objects into the project tree. Exit the
wizard at any time and continue setting up your simulation manually in the project tree.

Open the Wizard

First make sure the DED Process Add-on is loaded (p. 3).

To start the wizard, select the DED Process tab and then select the Open Wizard button.

The DED Process Wizard guides you in a step-by-step manner through the following steps:

Release 2025 R1 - © ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information
of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates. 11
Using the DED Process Wizard

1. Identify geometries

2. Set up for element clustering

3. Generate mesh and create contact connections

4. Assign materials

5. Define machine parameters and thermal boundary conditions

6. Define structural boundary conditions and base removal

Refer to the in-wizard help at the bottom of each page. An example page, for defining machine para-
meters and thermal boundary conditions, is shown here:

Release 2025 R1 - © ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information
12 of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates.
Assumption and Restrictions When Using the Wizard
• When you launch the wizard, the unit system is checked and, if necessary, automatically switched to
the Metric system (mm, t, N, s, mV, mA) because the DED Process Add-on requires that units be in
millimeters. The following message appears if the unit system is changed:

Release 2025 R1 - © ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information
of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates. 13
Using the DED Process Wizard

• Upon completion of the material assignment step of the wizard, the Reference Temperature and
Reference Temperature Value for the build body are automatically set to "By Body" and to the build
material's melting temperature respectively, or 1000°C if the melting temperature is not defined for
the assigned material. The Reference Temperature for the base is set to "By Environment."

• The options to read Feed Rate, Preheat Temperature, and Dwell Time from a G-Code file are not
available in the wizard. Specify them on the G-Code Clustering object (p. 100) in the project tree
(outside of the wizard). See Element Clustering: G-Code Approach (p. 49).

Close the Wizard

1. Upon completing the last page, click Finish to complete the wizard.

2. Click the X in the upper, right corner to close the wizard window.

Review Items in Project Tree

Continue the simulation in the Mechanical application interface at this point. It is a good idea to review
the objects in the project tree that were created by the DED Process Wizard. Select the objects in the
tree from top to bottom and examine the details view for each object to see how the wizard options
are implemented in the project tree. New objects have been added, such as the AM Process for DED
object and its child objects (Build Settings, Manual Clustering or G-Code Clustering). Take note of the
named selections for the build body, the base body, build and base body element faces and nodes for
the removal step. A connection object, mesh objects, boundary condition objects, result objects, and
others have been added or changed automatically by the wizard. You can make changes or add items
as needed.

Perform Element Clustering

The element clustering step must be performed after you finish the wizard. Refer to one of the following
sections, depending on which method you selected to define the build order in the wizard:

• If you specified a manual approach to define the building order, refer to Element Clustering:
Manual Approach (p. 47).

• If you specified a G-Code file to define the building order, you must now define the G-Code
clustering options and perform element clustering, as described in Element Clustering: G-Code
Approach (p. 49).

After performing element clustering, the simulation is ready to solve.

Release 2025 R1 - © ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information
14 of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates.
Chapter 5: Workflow Through the Project Tree
We strongly recommend you use the DED Process Wizard (p. 11) to set up your simulation because it
simplifies your workflow considerably. The wizard populates objects, options, Named Selections, and
defaults for you in the Mechanical application's project tree. This chapter describes the steps required
if you prefer to use your own workflow to set up a DED simulation in the project tree.

A DED process simulation involves most of the general steps found in any Ansys analysis with some
additional steps and considerations as described in the following steps:
5.1. Create the Analysis System
5.2. Attach Geometry and Launch the Mechanical Application
5.3. Identify Geometries
5.4. Assign Materials
5.5. Apply Mesh Controls and Generate Mesh
5.6. Create Named Selections for Contact and Clustering
5.7. Define Build Settings
5.8. Perform Element Clustering
5.9. Define Connections
5.10. Define DED Process Steps
5.11. Establish Thermal Analysis Settings
5.12. Apply Thermal Boundary Conditions
5.13. Solve the Transient Thermal Analysis
5.14. Establish Structural Analysis Settings
5.15. Apply Structural Boundary Conditions
5.16. Solve the Static Structural Analysis
5.17. Review Results

5.1. Create the Analysis System

A DED process simulation requires a transient thermal analysis followed by a static structural analysis.
For simplification, it is assumed the physics are uncoupled in that data flows one-way from the thermal
analysis to the structural. A customized system is available for DED simulations.

1. Open Ansys Workbench.

Release 2025 R1 - © ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information
of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates. 15
Workflow Through the Project Tree

2. In Workbench, scroll down to custom systems, located in the toolbox on the left side of the
window, and load the AM DED Process by double-clicking it.

Note:

If you use a Mechanical Model from Workbench's Component Systems, you must
manually create the AM DED Process system. This is due to the fact that AM Custom
Systems are pre-populated with AM sample materials in Engineering Data, and linking
to the Mechanical Model requires the absence of materials in Engineering Data.

If you open the Mechanical application independent of Workbench, you must

manually insert the transient thermal and static structural systems.

5.2. Attach Geometry and Launch the Mechanical Application

Typically, you’ll have these geometric bodies in the simulation model:

Release 2025 R1 - © ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information
16 of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates.
 Attach Geometry and Launch the Mechanical Application

• Part – This is the part you are manufacturing. It should be a closed volume (that is, watertight),
and should be oriented with the global X, Y, or Z axis as the print direction. The part can be
made of multiple bodies but they must have shared topology between them. See Shared Topology
in the Discovery Documentation.

For the part geometry, commonly imported file types include the Discovery application's .dsco
files (non-faceted) and stereolithography .stl files (faceted). For other options, see Attach
Geometry/Mesh in the Mechanical User's Guide.

• Base Plate – This is the platform on which the part is to be printed. It is included in the simulation
because it acts as a heat sink. It can be planar or curved.

Note:

If you are modeling a curved base plate where either the part or the baseplate will
have a Cartesian mesh, we recommend you also set shared topology between the
part and the base plate to force a better connection than the default contact connec-
tion. Note that for multi-axis simulations (p. 64) (Print Direction = Multi-axis), the
mesh type is currently limited to Cartesian.

You set shared topology in the CAD/design application. See Apply Mesh Controls and
Generate Mesh (p. 25) for options to change Projection Factor if you have unshared
topology.

Note that supports are not used in a typical DED process because the multiple axis turntables rotate
the build platform to facilitate material deposition. This is unlike in a powder bed fusion process where
supports are used to anchor the part to the base plate and supports must therefore be included in the
simulation.

Procedural Steps
1. Right-click the Geometry cell of the Geometry block, and select Import. Browse for your file and
import it. (Double-clicking the Geometry cell opens the Ansys Discovery application.)

Release 2025 R1 - © ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information
of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates. 17
Workflow Through the Project Tree

2. After importing geometry, double-click the Model cell (or right-click, and select Edit) of the Transient
Thermal analysis block to launch the Mechanical application. It may take a few minutes for Mechan-
ical to open and your geometry to appear in the geometry window.

3. Once your geometry is loaded in the Mechanical application, review how it is presented in the
project tree.

4. Once the Mechanical application opens, it is a good time to adjust the number of processors (cores)
you are using on your computer. Depending on the complexity of your model, DED process simula-
tions may be computer intensive. If you have an Ansys HPC license, access the option in the Solve
group on the Home tab and change the Cores to something appropriate for your simulation.

5.3. Identify Geometries

To establish the options and assumptions appropriate for a DED process simulation, you need to insert
the AM Process for DED object into the project tree. Here you will identify which bodies are associated
with the build and the base plate.

Release 2025 R1 - © ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information
18 of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates.
 Identify Geometries

Procedural Steps
1. Select the DED Process tab on the ribbon and then click the DED Process option from the DED
Process tool bar. Notice that the AM Process for DED object is added to the project tree.

Also, the unit system is checked automatically and, if necessary, changed to the Metric system (mm,
t, N, s, mV, mA) since the DED Process Add-on requires that units be in millimeters. The following
message appears if the unit system is changed:

2. Next you need to identify which bodies are which in the geometry you imported. Select the AM
Process for DED object and then:

a. Select the body or bodies representing the part that make up the Build Geometry and click
Apply in the Details view under Build Geometry. To select a body, be sure that your mode of

selection is on body (rather than on face, edge, or vertex). Use the Ctrl
key while clicking the left mouse button to select multiple entities (or click, hold, and drag). Or
use named selections as a basis for selection. When selected, the build geometry is shown in
green. Clicking Apply displays the build geometry in blue.

Release 2025 R1 - © ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information
of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates. 19
Workflow Through the Project Tree

b. Select the body that is the Base Plate Geometry and click Apply in the Details view. (If your
imported geometry does not have a base plate, construct one in the next step.)

3. To create the base plate if not imported with the CAD geometry, select the Model object and then:

a. Right-click the Model object or in the geometry window and select Insert > Construction
Geometry.

b. Right-click the new Construction Geometry object (under Model) and choose Insert > Solid.

c. In the Details view, fields appear for you to enter coordinates with respect to the center of the
top of the base. Enter values for X1, X2, Y1, Y2, Z1 and Z2. An outline is provided to preview
the dimensions. Right-click Solid and select Add to Geometry. For more information, see Con-
struction Geometry in the Mechanical User's Guide.

d. To identify this newly created body as the Base Plate Geometry, highlight the DED Process object,
select the new body and click Apply in the Details view for Base Plate Geometry.

5.4. Assign Materials

Assign a material to each geometry body. The build and the base plate can be a different material.

The reference temperature is the temperature at which thermal strains do not exist in a material. We
recommend you set the reference temperature value to be the melting temperature of your chosen
material. In the simulation of the DED process, our assumption is that each finite element cluster is
added (with the element birth and death technique) at or above the melting temperature for the ma-
terial and is initially strain-free. As the build cools, thermal strains develop. The static structural analysis
will use the temperature results of the transient thermal analysis to compute the displacements, stresses,
strains, and forces due to these induced thermal strains.

Release 2025 R1 - © ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information
20 of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates.
 Assign Materials

As its name implies, the reference temperature is used as a reference value to determine the state of
the material - whether it is melted or not. It is also used as a criterion in the simulation to determine
whether elements should be alive (activated) or dead (deactivated). The remelting phenomenon can be
captured in the simulation by distinguishing between process temperature and reference temperature
(melting temperature). Because the process temperature can be higher than the reference temperature,
newly activated elements in the build (prior to the current cluster) might still be at a temperature
higher than the reference temperature (melting temperature). Consequently, these elements will be
deactivated to emulate remelting and prevent the accumulation of strain. This distinction becomes
particularly crucial in the case of power-based temperature solutions (Heating Method = Power
Based) (p. 44), as the maximum temperature can be significantly higher than the material's melting
temperature.

Procedural Steps
When you select a geometry entity in the project tree, the Details view lists all the settings associated
with that body.

1. In the project tree under Model, expand the Geometry object to see its child objects below it.
Select the geometric entity that is the Print /part geometry and, in Details view, under Material,
change the Assignment to be an additive manufacturing material.

2. For the print/part geometry, set the Reference Temperature to be By Body, and enter a Ref-
erence Temperature Value to be the melting temperature. This step is very important to ensure
that the proper birth and death behavior occurs in the simulation. See Methodology and Ab-
stractions (p. 4).

Release 2025 R1 - © ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information
of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates. 21
Workflow Through the Project Tree

Note:

If the Reference Temperature for the print/part geometry is set to By Environment,

or set to By Body but the Reference Temperature Value is left as the default of 22°,
you may see odd behavior in the structural results, such as missing elements.

3. Select the entity that is the base plate body and change its material Assignment, as desired.
Leave the Reference Temperature option to be By Environment (default).

Release 2025 R1 - © ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information
22 of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates.
 Assign Materials

Custom Material Files

Alternatively, advanced users may want to define text files containing material data for the build part
and base plate, useful for sensitivity analysis of material properties, perhaps. (See example files
_mat_Plate.inp and _mat_PrintedPart.inp that show examples of the required definitions.) Define the
custom material files on the Details view of the AM Process for DED object.

Example files are shown here for reference.

_mat_Plate.inp:
/nopr
!++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
!
! Bodenplatte AL-2 ( Isotropic Hardening ) DHV
!
!++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
!
! Reference Temperature [C]
!
MP,REFT, matpoi, 20,
!
! Thermal Expansion Coefficient [mm/mm C]
!
MPTEMP
MPTEMP, 1, 20.0, 250.0
MPDATA,ALPX, matpoi, 1, 2.3860E-05, 2.6843E-05
!
!----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
!
! Thermal Conductivity [mW/mm C]
!
MPTEMP
MPTEMP, 1, 20.0, 250.0
MPDATA,KXX , matpoi, 1, 122.50, 147.00

!----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
!
! Thermal Heat Capacity [mW s/ton C]
!
MPTEMP
MPTEMP, 1, 20.0, 250.0
MPDATA,C , matpoi, 1, 9.00000E+08, 10.1000E+08
!

Release 2025 R1 - © ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information
of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates. 23
Workflow Through the Project Tree

!----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
!
! Mass Density [t/mm*mm*mm]
!
MPTEMP
MPTEMP, 1, 20.0, 250.0
MPDATA,DENS, matpoi, 1, 2.66000E-09, 2.53000E-09
!
!----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
!
! Young's Modulus [MPa]
!
MPTEMP
MPTEMP, 1, 20.0, 250.0
MPDATA,EX , matpoi, 1, 70400.0, 56320.0
!
!----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
!
! Poisson's Ratio [-]
!
MPTEMP
MPTEMP, 1, 20.0, 250.0
MPDATA,PRXY, matpoi, 1, 0.30, 0.30
!
!----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
!
! Plastic Stress Strain Curves [C] ; [-] ; [MPa]
!
TB,PLASTIC,matpoi,2,2,MISO
TBTEMP, 20.0
TBPT,,0.0 , 123.64
TBPT,,0.1325, 246.40
TBTEMP,250.0
TBPT,,0.0 , 100.0
TBPT,,0.2875, 160.0
!
!++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

_mat_PrintedPart.inp:
/nopr
/com,
/com,!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
/com,---------------------------------------------------------------------------
/com,
/com, Units: [mm-t-s] --> [MPa-N]
/com,---------------------------------------------------------------------------
/com,!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!/gopr
!
/nopr
!++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
!
! Bodenplatte AL-2 ( Isotropic Hardening )
!
!++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
!
! Reference Temperature [C]
!
MP,REFT, matpoi, 210,
!
! Thermal Expansion Coefficient [mm/mm C]
!
MPTEMP
MPTEMP, 1, 20.0, 250.0
MPDATA,ALPX, matpoi, 1, 2.3860E-05, 2.6843E-05
!
!----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
!
! Thermal Conductivity [mW/mm C]

Release 2025 R1 - © ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information
24 of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates.
 Apply Mesh Controls and Generate Mesh

!
MPTEMP
MPTEMP, 1, 20.0, 250.0
MPDATA,KXX , matpoi, 1, 122.50, 147.00

!----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
!
! Thermal Heat Capacity [mW s/ton C]
!
MPTEMP
MPTEMP, 1, 20.0, 250.0
MPDATA,C , matpoi, 1, 9.00000E+08, 10.1000E+08
!
!----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
!
! Mass Density [t/mm*mm*mm]
!
MPTEMP
MPTEMP, 1, 20.0, 250.0
MPDATA,DENS, matpoi, 1, 2.66000E-09, 2.53000E-09
!
!----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
!
! Young's Modulus [MPa]
!
MPTEMP
MPTEMP, 1, 20.0, 250.0
MPDATA,EX , matpoi, 1, 70400.0, 56320.0
!
!----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
!
! Poisson's Ratio [-]
!
MPTEMP
MPTEMP, 1, 20.0, 250.0
MPDATA,PRXY, matpoi, 1, 0.30, 0.30
!
!----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
!
! Plastic Stress Strain Curves [C] ; [-] ; [MPa]
!
TB,PLASTIC,matpoi,2,2,MISO
TBTEMP, 20.0
TBPT,,0.0 , 123.64
TBPT,,0.1325, 246.40
TBTEMP,250.0
TBPT,,0.0 , 100.0
TBPT,,0.2875, 160.0
!
!++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

5.5. Apply Mesh Controls and Generate Mesh

For the part, we recommend one finite element layer per real deposition layer. A DED process simulation
does not need a strictly layered mesh with identical layer height for every layer as does a Powder Bed
Fusion simulation, but the DED weld track must be represented in the mesh.

A slightly coarser mesh is acceptable for the base plate because it is simply serving as a heat sink and
a fixed support in the simulation.

Mesh types to consider include Cartesian (i.e., hex), tetrahedrons, and sweep mesh.

• A Cartesian mesh is required for simulation of a multi-axis process (Print Direction = Multi-ax-
is (p. 52)).

Release 2025 R1 - © ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information
of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates. 25
Workflow Through the Project Tree

• We recommend a Cartesian rather than a tetrahedrons mesh if you will be using manual clustering
because, for some geometries, some tetrahedrons may be excluded from element clusters. We
also recommend using linear elements rather than quadratic.

Procedural Steps
The following steps describe the Cartesian mesh technique:

1. Set mesh controls for the part. The size of the mesh is required to be the same throughout all
part bodies.

a. Right-click Mesh and select Insert > Method. An Automatic Method object appears under
the Mesh object.

b. Select the part body. In the details pane of the Automatic Method object, click Apply next
to Geometry.

c. Select the dropdown in the Method option and choose Cartesian. Notice the Automatic
Method object has been renamed to Body Fitted Cartesian.

d. In the details pane of the Body Fitted Cartesian object, under Definition, set the Element
Size to the desired value. (Click in the right column on the word Default to activate the text
field.)

e. Under Advanced, set the Projection Factor to a value between 0 and 1. The Projection
Factor defines how well the mesh fits to the geometry. A value of 0 results in cubic elements
with a rough fit to the geometry. Increasing the Projection Factor changes the shape of the
elements to better fit the geometry and may yield better results in some cases, but may
also result in an overlapping or failed mesh. Our recommendation is to use 0, or close to 0,
initially and then iterate from there to see the effects of changing Projection Factor.

Too large of a Projection Factor may result in:

• Highly distorted mesh resulting in cluster layers that are unacceptably uneven: While
a small amount of irregularity in the mesh layers is acceptable, if you increase the
Projection Factor too much, at some point element clustering is adversely affected,
or clusters may even be impossible to generate.

• Overlapping mesh at the contact region: An overlapping mesh between the part and
the base is not desirable. The required contact connection (p. 77) may still be gener-
ated but during the solution, the heat does not get properly conducted to the base
because of the small negative gap.

Multi-axis simulations require a Cartesian mesh but you can set the Projection Factor to
something other than 0 to improve the quality of contact for better convergence if you
have unshared topology.

You can apply a Coordinate System for the mesh. Typically, the default global coordinate system
is appropriate but you may want to set it to one located on the top surface of the base plate.

For additional information about Cartesian meshes, see Cartesian Method Control in the Meshing
User's Guide.

Release 2025 R1 - © ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information
26 of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates.
 Create Named Selections for Contact and Clustering

2. Set mesh controls for the base plate. Highlight the Mesh object and right-click Insert > Sizing.
A Sizing object is created under the Mesh object and becomes active.

a. Select the base plate body and hit Apply in the Details view.

b. Under Definition, change the Element Size to the desired value. It can be larger than
the element size for the part.

3. Click the Mesh object and, in Details, change the Element Order to Linear. This will set a
global control for all bodies to be meshed.

4. Finally, highlight the Mesh object and right-click Generate Mesh. If you don't like the generated
mesh you can easily go back and change element sizes, then right-click Mesh and select Update.

5.6. Create Named Selections for Contact and Clustering

Now that meshing is complete, it's time to define the Named Selections required for the simulation.
The Named Selections feature allows you to create groupings of similar geometry or meshing entities
for convenience to be used elsewhere in the simulation. Review the table below to determine which
Named Selections are required based on your DED model setup. The Named Selections must be named
exactly as they appear in the table. One of the reasons we recommend using the DED Process Wizard
is that it determines which of these Named Selections are needed and creates them automatically.

Release 2025 R1 - © ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information
of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates. 27
Workflow Through the Project Tree

Named Selections Required for DED Simulation

Name of Named Selection Definition Required for
print_part The geometry body representing Creating other Named Selections
the part
base_plate The geometry body representing Creating other Named Selections
the base
part_contact_face The faces of the part that will be in Contact generation for the following
contact with the base scenarios:

• Shared topology, or

• Unshared topology with a

curved base

base_contact_face The faces of the base that will be in Contact generation for the following
contact with the part scenarios:

• Shared topology, or

• Unshared topology with a

curved base

Print part lower element The element faces of the part(s) that Contact generation with unshared
faces will be in contact with the base topology for both planar and curved
bases
Base plate upper element The element faces of the base that Contact generation with unshared
faces will be in contact with the part topology for both planar and curved
bases
Part Elements All elements in the part body Generating clusters for multi-axis
simulation
Part Nodes All nodes in the part body Generating clusters for multi-axis
simulation
Part Contact Elements Elements on the surfaces of the part Cluster connectivity check for
that will be in contact with the base multi-axis simulation. The way to
create this is different depending
on shared or unshared topology.

Example: Named Selection for Curved Base Multi-axis Model with Shared To-
pology
The following example shows the Named Selections defined for a screw-shaped model that has shared
topology between part and base bodies. The first image shows the shared edges between the part and
base. A pink edge indicates it is shared by three faces (labeled Triple). The three faces are two faces
belonging to the part and one face belonging to the base.

Release 2025 R1 - © ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information
28 of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates.
 Create Named Selections for Contact and Clustering

print_part: This Named Selection is easily created using geometry selection.

Release 2025 R1 - © ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information
of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates. 29
Workflow Through the Project Tree

base_plate: This Named Selection is easily created using geometry selection.

Release 2025 R1 - © ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information
30 of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates.
 Create Named Selections for Contact and Clustering

part_contact_face: This Named Selection is created using geometry selection with the base body hidden.

Release 2025 R1 - © ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information
of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates. 31
Workflow Through the Project Tree

base_contact_face: This Named Selection is created using geometry selection with the base body
hidden.

Release 2025 R1 - © ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information
32 of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates.
 Create Named Selections for Contact and Clustering

Part Elements: This Named Selection is required because it is a multi-axis simulation. We create the
Named Selection by using a worksheet. Notice that the elements are voxels (Cartesian mesh with Pro-
jection Factor = 0).

Release 2025 R1 - © ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information
of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates. 33
Workflow Through the Project Tree

Part Nodes: This Named Selection is required because it is a multi-axis simulation. We create the Named
Selection by using a worksheet.

Release 2025 R1 - © ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information
34 of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates.
 Create Named Selections for Contact and Clustering

Part Contact Elements: This Named Selection is required because it is a multi-axis simulation. We create
the Named Selection by using a worksheet.

Release 2025 R1 - © ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information
of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates. 35
Workflow Through the Project Tree

There are several actions required to isolate the part's elements that will be in contact:

1. Add the base plate body.

2. Convert the body selection to its elements.

3. Convert the elements selection to their nodes. Now we have the nodes of the base. Because
of shared topology, some of these nodes are shared with the part.

4. Filter the nodes to just those included in the part. Remember that these nodes are connected
to both base and part elements so now we must narrow our selection to just the elements of
the part.

5. Remove any nodes that are connected with less than 8 elements. Since multi-axis simulations
are limited to Cartesian mesh type, 8 is the maximum number of elements a node can connect
with. This helps us to identify the innermost layer of part elements in contact with the base
and sets us up to eliminate the base elements.

6. Convert the nodes selection to their elements.

7. Filter the elements to just those included in the part. Now we have the part's elements that
will be in contact.

Release 2025 R1 - © ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information
36 of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates.
 Create Named Selections for Contact and Clustering

For this example, the Named Selections of Print part lower element faces and Base plate upper ele-
ment faces are not needed because the model has shared topology.

Example: Named Selection for Curved Base Multi-axis Model with Unshared
Topology
The following example shows the Named Selections defined for the same screw-shaped model but this
time with unshared topology between part and base bodies. The first image shows there are no shared
edges between the part and base. A black edge indicates it is shared by two faces (labeled Double).
The two faces are the two belonging to the part.

Release 2025 R1 - © ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information
of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates. 37
Workflow Through the Project Tree

print_part: Same as shared topology example above.

base_plate: Same as shared topology example above.

part_contact_face: Same as shared topology example above.

base_contact_face: This Named Selection is created using geometry selection.

Release 2025 R1 - © ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information
38 of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates.
 Create Named Selections for Contact and Clustering

Print part lower element faces: This Named Selection is created using a worksheet.

Release 2025 R1 - © ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information
of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates. 39
Workflow Through the Project Tree

Base plate upper element faces: This Named Selection is created using a worksheet.

Release 2025 R1 - © ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information
40 of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates.
 Create Named Selections for Contact and Clustering

Part Elements: This Named Selection is created using a worksheet, the same way as in the shared to-
pology example above. Notice that the elements are well-fitted hex elements (Cartesian mesh with
Projection Factor = 0.8). Because of unshared topology, we used a Projection Factor (p. 25) other than
zero to improve contact quality between the build and the base.

Release 2025 R1 - © ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information
of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates. 41
Workflow Through the Project Tree

Part Nodes: This Named Selection is created using a worksheet, the same way as in the shared topology
example above.

Release 2025 R1 - © ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information
42 of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates.
 Create Named Selections for Contact and Clustering

Part Contact Elements: This Named Selection is created using a worksheet, with different actions than
in the shared topology example above. In this case it is relatively easy to isolate the part's elements
that will be in contact with the base by using the already defined Print part lower element faces Named
Selection.

Release 2025 R1 - © ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information
of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates. 43
Workflow Through the Project Tree

5.7. Define Build Settings

In this step, specify the settings and conditions related to the machine and the process, grouped into
the following three categories:

Machine Settings refer to process parameters that vary for each DED machine as well as for the mater-
ial used in the deposition process.

• Material Deposition Rate: The feeding rate of the melted material, in mm3/sec. This value can be de-
termined by multiplying layer thickness (mm) x weld width (mm) x deposition speed (mm/sec).

Release 2025 R1 - © ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information
44 of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates.
 Define Build Settings

Build Conditions are the settings pertaining to the environment in the build chamber around the part
as it is being printed, including the preheat temperature. Multiple convection coefficient and emissivity
inputs are available to allow for the possibility of different materials and/or conditions for the part and
the base plate.

• Preheat Temperature: The starting temperature of the base plate.

• Scoping Method: Choose to select geometry directly in the geometry window or use a named selection
to identify the bottom of the base plate that will be preheated.

• Preheat Geometry: The bottom face of the base plate.

• Preheat During Printing: If set to “Off (default),” the preheat temperature is applied in only the first
load step. Option “On” maintains the preheat temperature throughout the complete build process.

• Heating Method: Controls how new clusters are heated in the transient thermal analysis. Choose
Temperature Based (default) or Power Based.

– Temperature Based: Heating is based on the process temperature.

→ Process Temperature: The temperature of the feed material as it is exiting the

nozzle—usually melting temperature or above. (When using the DED Process wizard,
this value automatically defaults to the build material's melting temperature.)

– Power Based: Heating is based on laser power and material absorptivity.

→ Power: The power of the laser in Watts.

→ Absorptivity: The average fraction of energy that is absorbed by the deposited material
and contributes to the heating process. Value must be between 0 and 1. Defaults to
0.4, or 40%.

• Room Temperature: Temperature of the gas in the build chamber during the build.

• Gas Convection Coefficient: Convection coefficients from the part and base plate surfaces to the
surrounding gas in the chamber during printing. Convection is applied to the element faces of every
element cluster, which can be especially relevant in the case of a bulky structure.

• Radiation: Set to Off (default) or On to include the effect of radiation in the simulation. Define
emissivity if Radiation = On. Turning on radiation effects may provide higher accuracy but at significant
computational cost.

• Thermal Calibration: Off (default)/On - If set to Off, default heating and cooling behavior is used for
cluster deposition. Setting the option to On allows you to change the Cluster Cooling Time Ratio,
essentially using it as a calibration factor.

Cluster Cooling Time Ratio: A value between 0 and 1 (default). The total deposition time, t, for each
cluster is determined by the volume of the cluster and the deposition rate. By default, a very tiny
fraction of this total time (1e-6 seconds) is used to raise the temperature to the Process Temperature,
and the remainder is used for cooling. Use the Cluster Cooling Time Ratio to adjust the heating and
cooling distribution. Lowering this value from the default of 1 has the effect of lowering cooling time,
thereby increasing heating time. For example, a value of 0.8 means 20% of time, t, is used for heating
and 80% for cooling (during printing). The lower the number, the higher the temperature spikes that
will exist in the thermal history across the part.

Release 2025 R1 - © ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information
of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates. 45
Workflow Through the Project Tree

Cooldown Conditions are the settings pertaining to the environment in the build chamber around the
part in the cooldown step after the last layer is printed.

• Room Temperature: Temperature of the gas in the build chamber during cooldown.

• Gas Convection Coefficient: Convection coefficient from the part to the surrounding gas in the
chamber during cooldown.

• Time: The duration of the cooldown process.

Tip:

To neglect convection for testing purposes, set the Gas Convection Coefficient for both the
build and cooldown conditions to very small values.

Cooldown Between Layers are options to adjust the dwell time, which is the pause, in seconds, between
layers as measured after the last cluster in a layer is deposited, not including laser travel time. Two
methods are available, Time Based and Temperature Based.

• Time Based is a method allowing direct input of dwell time, in seconds or milliseconds, from the
G-Code file which is then interpreted through the element clustering process (p. 46). Dwell time
for individual clusters is modifiable in the cluster settings table (p. 70). You can use the convenient
"List only last cluster in each layer" filter to manually adjust dwell time between layers.

• Temperature Based uses a Target Temperature together with time step and convergence options
to automatically adjust dwell time. See Cooldown Between Layers options in the Build Settings
object (p. 95). With this method, the ability to manually adjust dwell time for individual clusters
is disabled.

5.8. Perform Element Clustering

Clustering is used to split weld lines into smaller pieces of mesh clusters that are exposed to one tem-
perature in a time step. In the racetrack example that has four layers, one cluster in one layer is shown
here.

Release 2025 R1 - © ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information
46 of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates.
 Perform Element Clustering

Cluster volume, in mm3, is used to control the size of the clusters, and hence, has a direct influence on
simulation time. This value determines how many elements are activated per load step, the time for
this load step is then determined by volume/deposition rate. A smaller cluster volume tends to provide
a more accurate result. Based on the overall dimension of the build geometry, this value should be
determined by balancing the computational cost and desired accuracy.

Set cluster volume based on the total volume of your part. If, for instance, your build part has a total
volume of 10,000 mm3 and you define a cluster volume of 100 mm3, the clustering process will generate
approximately 100 element clusters.

Two approaches are available to define element clusters, either manually or using G-Code. For both of
these approaches, a license check for the Additive Suite license is done when generating element
clusters. Upon completion of cluster generation, you can use the Cluster Settings table to adjust machine
parameters for individual element clusters, as needed.

See the following topics:

5.8.1. Element Clustering: Manual Approach
5.8.2. Element Clustering: G-Code Approach
5.8.3. Editing Individual Clusters for More Precise Control of Process Settings

5.8.1. Element Clustering: Manual Approach

In this approach to element clustering, you manually define named selections in a very specific pattern
and with a specific naming convention. Every weld track must be defined as a body named selection
with the name “weld_X” where X is the number of the weld track describing the weld track order.
Specifically, the name for the first weld track named selection must be weld_1, the name of the second
weld track named selection must be weld_2, and so on.

Release 2025 R1 - © ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information
of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates. 47
Workflow Through the Project Tree

Additionally, every weld track needs to have a face named selection as a start face called “start_face_X”
where X is the number of the weld track describing the weld track order.

To summarize, for every body named selection weld_X there must be a face named selection
start_face_X.

For the sake of clarity, weld_X and start_face_X can be, but do not have to be, grouped together.

You must set a Cluster Volume per simulation step (default: 20 mm³) to determine the element cluster
size.

Procedural Steps
To create element clusters using the manual approach:

1. Select the Manual Clustering button in the DED Process ribbon. A Manual Clustering object is
inserted below the AM Process for DED object in the project tree.

2. In the Details view of the Manual Clustering object, define a Cluster Volume per simulation step.

3. Select a Print Direction (default: Z direction)

4. Right-click Manual Clustering and click Generate.

Release 2025 R1 - © ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information
48 of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates.
 Perform Element Clustering

At the beginning of every weld track a new cluster will be created. In most cases, one or more
element clusters with a predefined element cluster size do not fit perfectly into the weld track.
That is why at the end of a weld track there may be small clusters with a much smaller cluster
size than defined.

5. Use the buttons Cluster Selection Forward and Cluster Selection Backward in the AM Process
for DED toolbar in the ribbon to display the clustering sequence in the geometry window.

6. The Cluster Settings object is automatically inserted under the AM Process for DED object in the
project tree together with the Manual Clustering object. Click Cluster Settings to use a table to
adjust machine parameters for individual element clusters as needed. For details, see Using the
Cluster Settings Table (p. 70).

5.8.2. Element Clustering: G-Code Approach

G-Code is the most commonly used programming language for computer numerical controlled (CNC)
machines. It is used to control cutting tools within a machine tool (like a lathe or mill) as well as non-
cutting tools used for additive methods like DED. Within the AM Process for DED, we use the G-Code
commands as a basis for creating clusters of elements that represent the building sequence of the
part. Since G-Code can contain extensions and variations specific to machine tool manufacturers and
control manufacturers, we focus on basic commands for linear movement (G00 and G01) and circular
movement (CIP), and assume a planar tool path in the X-Y, X-Z, or Y-Z plane, normal to print direction.
See Supported G-Code Commands (p. 87).

The general steps to create element clusters based on a G-Code file are:

1. Add G-Code Clustering object and import G-Code file. This step is done automatically if you use
the DED Process Wizard to set up the simulation.

2. Visualize the G-Code path.

3. Define additional clustering and G-Code options.

4. Translate or rotate the G-Code in relation to the build part, as needed.

5. Perform element clustering.

Release 2025 R1 - © ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information
of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates. 49
Workflow Through the Project Tree

6. Review the cluster progression after element clustering is completed.

Procedural Steps
1. Add G-Code Clustering object and import G-Code file

a. Select the G-Code Clustering button in the DED Process ribbon. A G-Code Clustering object
is inserted below the AM Process for DED object in the project tree.

b. In the Details view of the G-Code Clustering object, click G-Code File to browse to the G-Code
file. The G-Code file must be in ASCII format. Select the G-Code file and then click Open in the
file selection dialog.

2. Visualize the G-Code path

Important:

Don't skip this step. It is your responsibility to visually verify that the G-Code path is
correct for the model and is correctly aligned (p. 53) with the part. If the simulation is
run with an inappropriate G-Code path for the model, the solution will be inaccurate.

You should visualize the G-Code path to check the correct positioning of the build part with respect
to the G-Code positions. Note that the following G-Code Path Visualization settings in the G-Code
Clustering object have no influence on element clustering itself.

a. Click Show Path in the AM Process for DED toolbar in the ribbon. The G-Code path is displayed
as blue and green lines in the geometry window. (Note: It may take some time to read the G-
Code file and display the path.)

• Blue lines show rapid movement commands in the G-Code. With this type of movement,
no material is deposited, and these paths are also not used in the subsequent element
clustering.

• Green lines show printing commands in the G-Code. With this type of movement, material
is deposited, and these paths are used in subsequent element clustering. In the visualization,
the green line appears at the top of each deposition layer.

Release 2025 R1 - © ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information
50 of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates.
 Perform Element Clustering

b. Click Hide Path in the toolbar to clear the G-Code path display from the geometry window.

c. You can adjust the visualization display by changing the following settings in the Details view
of the G-Code Clustering object, under G-Code Path Visualization:

• Path Layers to Show: Path layers from the G-Code file to display. Enter a range of values
with a hyphen and multiple values separated by commas. For example, 1-10, 25-30 displays
layers 1 through 10 and 25 through 30. The value 0 displays all layers and is the default
setting.

• Show Every n-th Layer: Displays every n-th path layer of the designated Path Layers to
Show. For example, the number 2 displays every second layer, 3 displays every third layer,
and so on. The number 1 displays all layers designated in Path Layers to Show and is the
default setting.

• Animation Frames: Animation frames in which the designated Path Layers to Show are

rendered. Click the Show Path button to render the animation. The value 1 displays all
Path Layers to Show in a single animation frame, that is, all at once. The value 2 divides the
Path Layers to Show across two animation frames, rendering half of the layers first and then
the other half. The greater the amount of Animation Frames, the clearer the G-Code path
progression will be. The default setting is 10. Values greater than the total number of layers
in Path Layers to Show are rendered with Animation Frames equal to the total number of
layers in Path Layers to Show. Because the animation rate is fast, this option is most useful
when visualizing large models and is less useful when visualizing smaller models.

• Line Segments For Arc: The graphical display of an arc path is approximated by a number
of lines in the geometry window. The number of lines per arc can be modified, a useful
option for G-Code files with many arcs in order to speed up the graphical display. The default
number of line segments is 5.

• Show Positioning Lines: On (default) displays the rapid movement commands in the G-
Code. Off suppresses the display of rapid movement commands.

Release 2025 R1 - © ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information
of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates. 51
Workflow Through the Project Tree

Cluster generation depends on the G-Code being properly aligned with the build part. After
visualizing the G-Code path, if it does not align with the build part, consider using the G-Code
translation or rotation options described in step 4 (p. 53).

3. Define additional clustering and G-Code options

The interpretation of the G-Code file commands can be modified before element clustering starts.
Adjust the following additional options in the Details view of the G-Code Clustering object, under
Clustering Options and G-Code Options:

a. Define the Cluster Volume, in mm3.

b. Define Print Direction: Choose X, Y, Z, -X, -Y, -Z, or Multi-axis for the print direction. De-
faults to Z direction.

Release 2025 R1 - © ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information
52 of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates.
 Perform Element Clustering

Multi-axis refers to a DED process that uses tools that move in four or more directions,
implying that the print direction might be greater than one or that it changes throughout
the process. If Print Direction is Multi-axis, the following additional options are available:

• Force Cluster at Laser Off: Yes (default) or No - Controls whether or not a cluster
is forced to generate when the laser is turned off even when the volume is less
than the specified Cluster Volume. If No, clusters are generated based on volume
only.

• Connectivity Check: Yes (default) or No - Checks for and corrects badly connected
elements if they exist. A badly connected element is one that: a) is not face-con-
nected with any other elements of the current cluster and b) is not face-connected
to any activated elements and c) is not in contact with the base. The connectivity
check occurs during clustering and may cause the operation to take longer. Consider
setting it to No to save time when working on preliminary simulation setup. Set
Connectivity Check back to Yes for your final (non preliminary) simulation.

c. Set these additional options as needed:

• Move Commands: Defines the G-Code commands for pure movement. Multiple
commands can be specified using comma separation, such as “G00, G01.”

• Laser On Commands: Defines the G-Code command(s) for switching the laser to
on (Laser On). All following move commands are used for element clustering until
a Laser Off command is found. Multiple commands can be specified using comma
separation, such as “M24, M174.”

• Laser Off Commands Defines the G-Code command(s) for switching the laser to
off (Laser Off ). All following move commands are not used for element clustering
until a Laser On command is found. Multiple commands can be specified using
comma separation, such as “M28, M175.”

• Extrusion Tag: G-Code commands may be extended by an extrusion tag “E.” This
can be used to additionally control if material is deposited or not. With the Extrusion
Tag option set to On, only commands with the “E”-tag are considered for sub-
sequent element clustering. Default setting is Off.

• Ignore Layers: With this option, specific layers can be excluded from the element
clustering. Multiple layer numbers can be excluded using comma separated values.
For example, “2,3” ignores the layers two and three from subsequent element
clustering, so the clusters are divided into two instead of four layers. The default
is 0 which includes all layers for element clustering (that is, 0 exclusions).

4. Translate or rotate the G-Code in relation to the build part, as needed

Cluster generation depends on the G-Code being properly aligned with the build part. Use the
fields under G-Code Transformation to position the G-Code properly with respect to the part. En-
tering a value in any of these fields transforms the G-Code path immediately. The example (p. 57)
at the end of this section shows a case where rotation of the G-Code path is required.

5. Perform element clustering

The generation of element clusters requires the following steps:

Release 2025 R1 - © ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information
of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates. 53
Workflow Through the Project Tree

a. Right-click the G-Code Clustering object and select Generate to start the element clus-
tering process. Depending on the number of commands in the G-Code file and the
number of elements, this process may take some time.

The following structure will be created under Named Selections in the project tree:

The folders "Layer_1," "Layer_2," and so on, contain named selections, one named selection
for each element cluster. The cluster names "el_loop_001," "el_loop_002" and so on, must
not be renamed.

Release 2025 R1 - © ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information
54 of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates.
 Perform Element Clustering

The named selections “Layer1_elements,” “Layer2_elements,” and so on, contain all ele-
ments within those detected layers. These named selections are created only for visualiz-
ation purposes and have no influence on the simulation itself.

b. View the G-Code Statistics in the Details view of the G-Code Clustering object to see
the total number of layers and lines read from the G-Code file, including rapid movements
without material deposition.

Release 2025 R1 - © ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information
of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates. 55
Workflow Through the Project Tree

c. The Cluster Settings object is automatically inserted under the AM Process for DED object
in the project tree together with the G-Code Clustering object. Click Cluster Settings to
use a table to adjust machine parameters for individual element clusters as needed. See
Using the Cluster Settings Table (p. 70) for details.

6. Review the cluster progression after element clustering is completed

Important:

Don't skip this step. It is very important to visually verify that the element clusters follow
the G-Code path. The progression of the thermal solver follows the element clusters.
If the cluster progression appears to jump around randomly back and forth to different
portions of the model and does not follow the G-Code path, the results will be incorrect.

Release 2025 R1 - © ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information
56 of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates.
 Perform Element Clustering

Use the buttons Cluster Selection Forward and Cluster Selection Backward in the AM Process
for DED toolbar in the ribbon to display the clustering sequence in the geometry window.

Example
In the following example, the build part consists of four bodies, as shown here:

Release 2025 R1 - © ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information
of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates. 57
Workflow Through the Project Tree

After importing the G-Code file and visualizing the G-Code path, we can see that it is not properly
aligned on top of the parts.

Indeed, after performing element clustering, we can review the cluster progression and see that the
element clusters are adversely affected by the unaligned G-Code path and will result in an incorrect
simulation.

The solution to the problem is to rotate the G-Code path by 90° in the clockwise direction about the
Z-axis. Note that rotation is allowed only in the printing direction. Since the Print Direction =Z in this
example, we will use the Rotate Z field under the G-Code Transformation settings, as shown below.
A top-down view of the model shows the corrected G-Code path after rotation.

Release 2025 R1 - © ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information
58 of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates.
 Perform Element Clustering

After element clustering, we can again review the cluster progression and verify it now follows the
G-Code path.

Release 2025 R1 - © ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information
of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates. 59
Workflow Through the Project Tree

Known Issue where G-Code Clustering Does Not Follow the G-Code Path
For DED simulations using G-Code clustering with a single print direction, such as ±X, ±Y, or ±Z (that
is, other than Multi-axis), depending on how your G-Code is written, the clustering may not reflect
the real build sequence due to how the G-Code clustering algorithm is implemented within the DED
Process Add-on. In certain cases, the DED simulation results may be invalid.

First, check to see if the G-Code clustering matches your actual build sequence by reviewing the
cluster progression once clusters are generated. To do so, click the Cluster Selection Forward button
in the AM Process for DED toolbar on the ribbon repeatedly to see the cluster progression in the
geometry window. (Alternatively, choose the first Named Selection in Layer 1 under Named Selections
and use the down arrow key to view the cluster progression through all layers.) If the cluster progres-
sion follows the G-Code path as expected, there is no need to be concerned, and you can proceed
to solve the simulation. If the cluster progression does not follow the G-Code path, it is most likely

Release 2025 R1 - © ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information
60 of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates.
 Perform Element Clustering

because the G-Code layers do not align evenly in the print direction everywhere on the model. One
indication of this is that the cluster progression appears to jump around randomly back and forth to
different portions of the model. This can happen in both multi-body parts and single-body parts with
non-simple geometries, even if the G-Code file itself is valid. Common scenarios are shown be-
low (p. 61).

When G-Code clustering does not follow the G-Code path, the simple workaround is to change the
Print Direction to Multi-axis, in which case a different algorithm is used resulting in a more rigorous
clustering technique that most always solves the problem.

Common Scenarios where G-Code Clustering Does Not Follow the G-Code Path

While every geometry is unique, below are some build scenarios where you may experience G-Code
clustering not following the G-Code path.

Different/multiple layer thicknesses resulting in unaligned G-Code layers

In this scenario, multiple parts on the base plate each have distinct deposition layer thicknesses
that are not aligned in the print direction, as illustrated below. While this is a valid DED set-up,
the current clustering implementation in the DED Process Add-on for a single print direction may
result in unexpected behaviour because of the current limitation. Adjusting the G-Code layer
thicknesses to be the same for both parts is an easy enough fix in this example if that is an ac-
ceptable build scenario. Or set Print Direction to Multi-axis as the workaround.

Non-planar base resulting in unaligned G-Code layers

The next example illustrates the scenario described above—a multi-body part with different layer
thicknesses resulting in unaligned layers— as well as introduces another problem scenario caused
by a non-planar base plate. Three pillars are to be printed one-by-one on a non-planar base. The
intention is to build pillar 1 first, followed by pillar 2, and lastly, pillar 3.

Release 2025 R1 - © ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information
of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates. 61
Workflow Through the Project Tree

If we look at the G-Code path (highlight the first cluster under Named Selections and then click
Show Path in the DED Process ribbon), we see a valid path starting at the lower, left corner of
pillar 1, progressing upward back and forth until pillar 1 is completed, then moving to the bottom
of pillar 2, moving upward back and forth until pillar 2 is completed, and finally moving to pillar
3 and moving upward back and forth until it is completed.

Release 2025 R1 - © ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information
62 of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates.
 Perform Element Clustering

But when we review the cluster progression, we see that the clustering does not follow the G-
Code path, as shown in the following animation:

A front view of the model shows that the G-Code path lines for the pillars do not align with each
other in the Z direction. For pillars 1 and 2, which are positioned at the same Z location on the
base, their layer thicknesses are different. Pillars 1 and 3, while having the same layer thickness,
start at different Z-locations on the base.

Release 2025 R1 - © ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information
of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates. 63
Workflow Through the Project Tree

There is no way to reconcile the unaligned layers problem due to the non-planar base plate
without changing the G-Code and/or geometries. In this example, set Print Direction to Multi-axis
as the workaround.

[Link]. G-Code Clustering for Multi-axis Printing

Multi-axis DED refers to a Directed Energy Deposition process that uses tools that move in four or
more directions, implying that the print direction might be greater than one or that it changes
throughout the process.

To simulate a multi-axis DED process:

• We recommend you set shared topology between the part bodies and the base if it is a
curved base.

• A Cartesian mesh is required but you can set the Projection Factor to something other than
0 to improve the quality of contact for better convergence if you don't have shared topology.

• Named Selections (p. 27) required for generating clusters and performing the connectivity
check for multi-axis are:

– Part Elements

– Part Nodes

– Part Contact Elements

• Use G-Code clustering and set the Print Direction to Multi-axis on the G-Code Clustering
object (p. 100). Additional options include Force Cluster at Laser Off and Connectivity Check.

[Link].1. Example
Consider the following example of a propeller.

Release 2025 R1 - © ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information
64 of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates.
 Perform Element Clustering

The G-Code file defines a print path starting from the hub and directed radially outward, as shown
below. In the visualization, a green line appears at the top of each new deposition layer.

Release 2025 R1 - © ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information
of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates. 65
Workflow Through the Project Tree

On the G-Code Clustering object, choose Multi-axis for Print Direction.

Release 2025 R1 - © ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information
66 of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates.
 Perform Element Clustering

The following animation shows the temperature results. The following is an animated GIF. Refresh
the page to see the animation. View online if you are reading the PDF version of the help.

Release 2025 R1 - © ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information
of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates. 67
Workflow Through the Project Tree

The following animation shows the structural displacement results. The following is an animated
GIF. Refresh the page to see the animation. View online if you are reading the PDF version of the help.

Release 2025 R1 - © ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information
68 of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates.
 Perform Element Clustering

5.8.3. Editing Individual Clusters for More Precise Control of Process Settings
Machine parameters are sometimes adjusted to optimize process settings and improve printing
quality. You can exert more precise control over regions of the model, for example, to reduce distortion
or local overheating by editing settings for individual clusters. Three methods are available to do this:
[Link]. Using the Cluster Settings Table
[Link]. Editing the Cluster Output File Directly
[Link]. Controlling Heating and Cooling During the Build via Parameters (Command Snippets)

The following table shows which method is available for editing each process parameter. You can
also add, remove, or move elements among clusters, which is listed as the last row of the table (Ele-
ments within the cluster).

Options for Editing Clusters

Item to be Edited Cluster Settings Cluster Output Parameters
[a] [b] (Command
Table File
Snippets)[a]
Deposition Rate ✓ ✓
Heater/Preheat Temperature ✓ ✓
Dwell Time ✓ ✓
Process Temperature or Power ✓
Convection coefficient for the part ✓

Release 2025 R1 - © ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information
of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates. 69
Workflow Through the Project Tree

Options for Editing Clusters

Item to be Edited Cluster Settings Cluster Output Parameters
[a] [b] (Command
Table File
Snippets)[a]
Convection coefficient for the base ✓
Radiation emissivity for the part ✓
Radiation emissivity for the base ✓
Elements within the cluster ✓
[a] Applicable for G-Code clustering and manual clustering
[b] Applicable for G-Code clustering only

[Link]. Using the Cluster Settings Table

You can adjust some machine parameters for individual element clusters using the Cluster Settings
table, accessible by selecting the Cluster Settings object (p. 106). The Cluster Settings object is
automatically inserted under the AM Process for DED object in the project tree when either the
Manual Clustering (p. 105) or G-Code Clustering (p. 100) object is inserted. (Manual Clustering and
G-Code Clustering are inserted either by the DED Setup Wizard or by manual insertion.)

Release 2025 R1 - © ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information
70 of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates.
 Perform Element Clustering

[Link].1. Type and Format of Table Data

The table consists of the following columns of data:

• Cluster NS: Name of the named selection for the cluster.

• Deposition Rate (same as Material Deposition Rate in Build Settings): The feeding rate of
the melted material, in mm3/sec. This value can be determined by multiplying layer thickness
(mm) x weld width (mm) x deposition speed (mm/sec).

• Cluster Preheat Temperature: The starting temperature, in °C, of the face scoped for
preheating; usually this is the underside face of the base plate.

• Dwell Time: The pause, in seconds, between the completion of this cluster and the begin-
ning of the next, not including laser travel time.

There is a relationship between the data in the table and the data in the Build Settings ob-
ject (p. 95), as shown in the following image. In the image, the Cluster Settings table is juxtaposed
next to the project tree for comparison purposes only. In the application, the table does not appear
when Build Settings is selected.

Release 2025 R1 - © ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information
of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates. 71
Workflow Through the Project Tree

Initially, the values in the table reflect what is entered in the Build Settings object.

Note that Preheat During Printing must be set to On for any temperature values to be included
in the table. If Preheat During Printing is set to Off, the word Off appears in every row in the
Cluster Preheat Temperature column, as shown in the image at the top of this section.

Data Format – Dots versus Commas

• Column titles, text strings, units, and numerical values in the Cluster Settings table always appear
in English. Numerical values appear with decimal points (dots) rather than commas. For example,
if your localization setting is set to French or German and you enter 93,33 for Preheat Temper-
ature in the Build Settings details pane, the table shows 93.33.

• When entering numerical values into the table, use dots rather than commas.

• With .csv import, commas are interpreted as column separators, so use dots rather than commas
as decimal separators in numerical inputs in your .csv file.

Release 2025 R1 - © ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information
72 of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates.
 Perform Element Clustering

[Link].2. Modifying Table Data

You can manually change data in the table or import data from a file. Once you change any data,
right-click Cluster Settings and select Update Data for Simulation.

You can filter the data shown in the table to list only the last cluster in each layer by clicking the
checkbox in the upper, left corner above the table. This is especially convenient when you have
a large model to identify the last cluster of every layer so you can adjust the Dwell Time before
starting the next layer, as shown in the following example. By clicking List only last cluster in
each layer, we see that clusters 19, 38, 57, and 76 are the last clusters in each of the four layers
so we modified the Dwell Time just for those clusters. We followed this by right-clicking the
Cluster Settings object and choosing Update Data for Simulation.

Release 2025 R1 - © ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information
of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates. 73
Workflow Through the Project Tree

Note the following regarding valid data input:

Release 2025 R1 - © ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information
74 of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates.
 Perform Element Clustering

• A string (non-numeric value) is invalid and is interpreted as a 0.

• For Deposition Rate, a value of 0 is invalid. The value must be greater than 0.

• For Cluster Preheat Temperature, a value of 0 is interpreted as Off.

• For Dwell Time, a value of 0 is a valid value.

[Link].3. Importing and Exporting Table Data

• Use the Import button to import data from an existing .csv file. Navigate to the desired folder
and click Open. With .csv import, commas are interpreted as column separators, so use dots
rather than commas as decimal separators in numerical inputs in your .csv file.

If you try to import a .csv file that does not have the same number of clusters as the existing
model in the tree, the import will not be successful and an error message will include the
names of missing or extra clusters.

• Use the Export button to export data from the table to a .csv file. For clusters generated via
G-Code, the export operation does not overwrite or affect the G-Code file in any way.

[Link]. Editing the Cluster Output File Directly

As an alternative to using the Cluster Settings table (p. 70), you can edit the output file, DEDClus-
[Link], from the cluster generation process directly. Change the build settings or add,
remove, or move elements among clusters.

Use the right-click options on the G-Code Clustering object (p. 100) to do this. Right-click the G-
Code Clustering object and choose Open DED Clustering Directory. From there, edit the DEDClus-
[Link] file as you wish. This is the output file from the cluster generation process.
After editing, right-click the G-Code Clustering object again and choose Update Clusters and
Settings. This action regenerates the Named Selections and updates cluster settings but will not
rerun the clustering algorithm.

Release 2025 R1 - © ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information
of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates. 75
Workflow Through the Project Tree

Files in the DED Clustering Directory include:

• The [Link], [Link], and [Link] files store the

Named Selections defined earlier (p. 27).

• The [Link] file contains the inputs for the clustering algorithm.

• The [Link] file contains the outputs from the clustering algorithm.
You can edit this file as described above.

• The [Link] file contains timestamps, statistics, and other log-type

information from the clustering algorithm if you have a multi-axis simulation.

[Link]. Controlling Heating and Cooling During the Build via Parameters
(Command Snippets)
You can control the additional build settings (p. 95) (that is, those that are not in the Cluster Settings
table (p. 70)) of power, for power based heating method, or process temperature, for temperature
based heating method, and radiation emissivity and gas convection coefficients during the build
for both the part(s) and the base using command snippets (Commands object) with specific Ansys-
defined DED parameters. This may be useful to lower power in areas where there may be overheating,
say, or to adjust build conditions for different materials. Note that these parameters have no effect
on the cooldown process.

The following table shows the DED parameters that can be used to more precisely control the
heating and cooling per cluster during the build process. The parameters must be named exactly
as they appear in the table. For all the parameters, the index# is the cluster number, which can be
found under Named Selections, G-Code_Cluster, Layer_1, el_loop_01, or el_loop_02, el_loop_03,
and so on.

Name of Parameter Definition

ClusterPTP(index#) Process Temperature or Power. This can be one or the other, as set by
Heating Method on the Build Settings object (p. 95).
PartConvCoef_P(index#) Convection coefficient for the part
BaseConvCoef_P(index#) Convection coefficient for the base
PartEmissivity_P(index#) Radiation emissivity for the part
BaseEmissivity_P(index#) Radiation emissivity for the part

Insert a Commands object into the Transient Thermal environment in the project tree. In the
Commands object, define the parameters for process temperature or power, and convection coef-
ficients and radiation emissivity, as needed. Upon solution, the original build settings will get
overwritten by those defined in the parameters.

In the following hypothetical example, the build settings are changed for cluster 1.

Release 2025 R1 - © ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information
76 of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates.
 Define Connections

5.9. Define Connections

Without shared topology between bodies, connections are the mechanism to ensure that the part and
the base plate bodies in the simulation are aware of each other and can share data (temperatures and
displacements) across boundaries. The connection type that is typically used in DED process simulations
is a special case of bonded contact between the element faces on the bottom of the build and the
element faces on the top of the base. The name of this contact must be DED_Contact.

In the project tree, a Contacts object is automatically added under Connections with a Contact Region
object underneath it when using the DED Process Add-on. The Contact Side is defined as the lower
element faces of the print part. The Target Side is defined as the upper element faces of the base plate.

Release 2025 R1 - © ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information
of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates. 77
Workflow Through the Project Tree

You must rename the Contact Region object to DED_Contact. Note that the DED_Contact name is
automatically assigned when using the DED Process Wizard.

Important:

Even if there is shared topology between the part and the base plate (recommended for
simulations with curved bases), you must still include the DED_Contact object in the project
tree, as this is required for solution.

Procedural Steps
Rename to DED_Contact object and review options as follows:

1. Expand the Contacts object and right-click Contact Region. Choose Rename and enter DED_Contact
as the new name. This is required for solution of the DED simulation.

Release 2025 R1 - © ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information
78 of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates.
 Define Connections

2. The recommended settings (by default since release 2023 R1) for the DED_Contact can be seen
below; the Contact surface is the lower element faces of the print part and the Target surface is the
upper element faces of the base plate. Two Named Selections (p. 27) defined earlier are used to
specify the contact and target. The Behavior is recommended to be Asymmetric with Nodal-Normal
from Contact as the Detection Method. This setting is seen to be helpful to eliminate or reduce the
negative temperature issue due to thermal shock found in previous releases. Defining contact
between build and base can be challenging sometimes. Recommended settings may not work for
your case. For more information, refer to the Contact Technology Guide.

Release 2025 R1 - © ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information
of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates. 79
Workflow Through the Project Tree

5.10. Define DED Process Steps

A DED process simulation consists of the build process and a cooldown process. The duration of the
build process depends on G-Code data or user defined named selections for the definition of the weld
track, and hence input parameters such as material deposition rate cannot be set by the user. The
duration of the cooldown process can be defined as a parameter.

After cooldown, the build parts can be removed from the base plate. In this case, removal constraint
nodes need to be defined. See Apply Structural Boundary Conditions (p. 84).

5.11. Establish Thermal Analysis Settings

Thermal analysis settings allow customization of various options during the transient thermal solution.

The transient thermal analysis will determine the temperature history during the build process. These
temperatures will then be used in a static structural analysis to determine the build distortions and
stresses. The Mechanical application will automatically determine all the steps and times needed for
time integration in the simulation.

Procedural Steps
Click Analysis Settings under Transient Thermal and, in Details, review the available options. It is
usually appropriate to leave most analysis settings set to program-controlled. These settings are determ-
ined when you insert the DED Process object into the project tree.

In a DED simulation, your results file will grow in size very quickly, so we recommend you keep the
default Output Controls that will suppress calculation of thermal flux, nodal forces, Euler angles, volume
and energy, and other miscellaneous items. Nodal temperatures are stored at all time points by default
but you can change that option (under Store Results At) so that temperatures are stored at the last
time point only, at equally spaced time points, or at a specified recurrence rate.

5.12. Apply Thermal Boundary Conditions

In the Build Settings (p. 44) step of our workflow, we have already accounted for convection between
the part to the surrounding gas in the chamber in both the Build Step and the Cooldown Step. There
is one other area of heat transfer to consider and that is associated with the base plate.

During the printing process, the plate is typically heated on the bottom to maintain a constant, slightly
elevated temperature. You may insert a temperature constraint or convection surface to simulate this
during the build step. If the plate is not heated, perhaps apply a room condition convection surface,
or set the surface boundary condition to adiabatic.

After the print process is complete, the base plate heating is removed and the built part cools to room
temperature. This is simulated by a room-temperature convection surface applied to the bottom of the
base plate in the cooldown step.

The time duration of the cooldown step is estimated based on the average part temperature at the
end of the build, its volume, and material properties. Using the convection values and room temperature,
the Mechanical application solves the simple heat transfer equation to get an estimate of the cool down
time. It is only an estimate so you can extend it if required or put in a preferred time in analysis settings.

Release 2025 R1 - © ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information
80 of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates.
 Solve the Transient Thermal Analysis

One final step is performed to force all the temperatures to room temperature for the subsequent dis-
tortion and stress calculation.

Procedural Steps
To apply a temperature to the bottom surface of the base plate for the build step:

1. Right-click the Transient Thermal object and then select Insert > Temperature.

2. Select the bottom face of the base plate (geometry selection) and hit Apply in the Details view.

3. In Details view, under Definition, Temperature, enter a temperature value for Magnitude. (In our
example we use 80°.)

To apply room-temperature convection to the bottom surface of the base plate for the cooldown step:

1. Right-click the Transient Thermal object and then select Insert > Convection.

2. Select the bottom face of the base plate (geometry selection) and hit Apply in the Details view.

3. In Details view, under Definition, Film Coefficient, enter a value for the convection coefficient.

4. Under Ambient Temperature, enter a value of 22°. (This may be the default.)

5.13. Solve the Transient Thermal Analysis

Some users prefer to solve the thermal analysis first to observe how the simulation is progressing while
others prefer to set up everything and run both the thermal and structural analyses at once. Either way
is perfectly acceptable. To run them both at once, simply execute a solve from the static structural side
and the transient thermal analysis will be run first automatically.

Procedural Steps
1. Review the items in the project tree. Be sure there are green check marks next to all the tree objects,
including AM Process for DED, indicating they are ready to solve. Be sure the DED_Contact object
is under the Connections folder.

2. To initiate the solution, under Transient Thermal, highlight the Solution object, right-click and select
Solve. It is safe to ignore the warning message: "The model has no temperature, convection, or radiation
conditions specified...", as the DED Process Add-on applies the appropriate boundary conditions
automatically with information from the Build Settings step (p. 44).

What Happens During the Transient Thermal Solution?

To understand the thermal solution in a DED simulation, it's helpful to examine a temperature plot over
time. The plot below shows maximum (green), average (blue), and minimum (red) temperatures over
time for a four-cluster model. You can see four temperature peaks, each corresponding to the (nearly)
instantaneous application of the Process Temperature as each cluster is activated (made "alive") during
the build.

Release 2025 R1 - © ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information
of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates. 81
Workflow Through the Project Tree

The enlarged, annotated image below shows only the maximum temperature (green) for clarity. All four
clusters are labeled. Each cluster undergoes two load steps: one for heating and one for cooling (i.e.,
between cluster activations). In this example, the Heating Method is Temperature Based. For the first
cluster, the simulation begins at time = 0, starting from room temperature. During the heating load
step, the temperature rapidly rises to the process temperature of 1260°C in a single substep. The cooling
load step then follows, consisting of multiple substeps.

Substeps are intermediate solution points within a load step. The time between two substeps is referred
to as a time step. These time steps are determined automatically using automatic time stepping, which
calculates an optimal time step at the end of each substep based on the system’s response to the applied
loads.

The total time span for both the heating and cooling load steps in each cluster is calculated as: Cluster
Volume (from the Clustering object) divided by Material Deposition Rate (from the Build Settings
object).

Release 2025 R1 - © ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information
82 of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates.
 Establish Structural Analysis Settings

Once the first cluster finishes, the next cluster is activated. It follows the same pattern: heating load
step, then cooling load step. This process continues sequentially through all clusters following the weld
track, completing the build step of the simulation.

After the build step, the cooldown step begins. Its duration is defined by the Cooldown Time field in
the Build Settings object (200 seconds in this example, though this value has been shortened for
demonstration purposes). The Number of Cooldown Steps defines how many load steps make up the
cooldown phase. Each of these load steps will also have multiple substeps determined by automatic
time stepping.

How Thermal History is Passed to the Structural Solution

The thermal history passed to the structural solution is the temperature at the end of every load step,
not at every substep. This includes:

• Two temperatures per cluster from the build step (one from the end of the heating step and one
from the end of the cooling step).

• One temperature per cooldown load step, as defined by the Number of Cooldown Steps (defaults to
10).

Passing only end-of-load-step temperatures ensures the structural simulation remains computationally
efficient while still capturing essential thermal behavior.

5.14. Establish Structural Analysis Settings

Structural analysis settings allow customization of various options during the static structural solution.
By default for a DED simulation, Large Deflection is turned on (under Solver Controls). Consider turning
on Line Search (under Nonlinear Controls) if you have convergence issues.

Release 2025 R1 - © ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information
of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates. 83
Workflow Through the Project Tree

We recommend you think about using options to reduce the amount of data stored on the results file.
You should suppress the calculation of stresses and strains if you are only interested in distortion, as
these data will easily increase the size of the results file and it may become unmanageable.

Procedural Steps
Click Analysis Settings under Static Structural and, in Details, review the available options. As with
the thermal analysis, many analysis settings in the structural analysis are program controlled.

Review the Output Controls and suppress items not of interest. Turn off calculations of Stress and
Strain by changing those options from Yes to No. (Hint: Simply double-clicking in the Yes box changes
it to No.)

5.15. Apply Structural Boundary Conditions

Unless you specified a base removal step, the only boundary condition that must be applied is a fixed
support boundary condition on the build plate. If you want to remove the base, you need to apply
fixed boundary conditions on three nodes of the part to prevent rigid body motion when the base is
removed.

Procedural Steps
1. To fix the bottom surface of the base plate, right-click the Static Structural object and then select
Insert > Fixed Support. Select the bottom face of the base plate (geometry selection) and hit Apply
in the Details view. If you have a more detailed geometry for the base, such as one with bolt holes
that you want to explicitly simulate, apply the boundary conditions to affix the plate accordingly.

2. If you specified a base removal step, you must constrain the part at three nodes to prevent rigid
body motion. Be aware that you are constraining the nodes to their displaced position at the end of
the build, rather than constraining them to 0. (For example, if the node displaced 0.1 mm during
the simulation, the constraint will keep the node at 0.1 mm.) Use a Commands object to do this.

a. You may want to hide the base body during this process. Right-click the base body and select
Hide Body.

b. Zoom in to the area of the part where you will apply constraints. Switch to Node mode of selec-
tion.

c. Create nodal named selections: Right-click Model in the project tree, and select Insert > Named
Selection. Select a node on the bottom of the part, perhaps toward the middle of the part. You
should choose nodes that are unimportant to your results. Perhaps spread them out over the
bottom of the part but the nodes must not be co-linear. Your node selection will affect displacement
results but not stresses or strains. Click Apply in the Details view. Right-click the newly created
Selection in the project tree (under Named Selections) and select Rename. Name it to
DED_UX_Remove (for constrained node 1). Do the same step two more times and rename them
to DED_UY_Remove and DED_UZ_Remove.

d. Remember to make the base plate visible again if you hid the body. Right-click the base body
and select Show Body.

Release 2025 R1 - © ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information
84 of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates.
 Review Results

5.16. Solve the Static Structural Analysis

You initiate the structural solution in this step. Watch convergence plots or a live tracker of the total
deformation as the solution progresses.

Procedural Steps
1. To initiate the solution, under Static Structural, highlight the Solution object, right-click and select
Solve.

2. To observe convergence plots during solution, click Solution Information and in the Details view,
under Solution Output, choose from among the selections in the drop-down list, such as Force
Convergence.

5.17. Review Results

Once a solution is available you can view contours of the results or animate the results. You will have
solutions at many time points and you can display the variation of the result item at a location over
the build history.

Typical result items of significance are temperatures in the Transient Thermal solution and displacements
and equivalent stress in the Static Structural solution.

Procedural Steps
Recall that you used Output Controls under Analysis Options to control which items are solved for in
the simulation. You also may have set up results trackers in the solution step to observe the results
being processed during the solution. When reviewing results after the solution, you will generally need
to evaluate results to obtain them for viewing. Evaluating results is a way to retrieve them from the
data that was stored during solution. Only data items that were solved for may be retrieved in this way.

There are many different ways to view results but some of the ones most commonly used for additive
manufacturing are described here:

Animate Thermal Results - Temperatures

1. In the project tree under Transient Thermal, select the Solution object and then, in the context
menu, click Thermal and then Temperature. Or right-click Insert > Thermal > Temperature. A
Temperature object is created and becomes active.

2. Right-click Temperature and select Evaluate All Results. This retrieves the temperature data and
displays it in both graph and tabular form.

3. Use the animation controls at the top of the Graph window. Click the Result Sets button and

also the Update Contour Range at Each Animation Frame button . Adjust the number of
seconds for the animation and click Play. For more information about animation controls, see Anim-
ation in the Mechanical User's Guide.

Release 2025 R1 - © ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information
of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates. 85
Workflow Through the Project Tree

Animate Structural Results - Total Deformation

1. In the project tree under Static Structural, select the Solution object and then, in the context menu,
click Deformation and then Total. A Total Deformation object is created and becomes active.

2. Right-click Total Deformation and select Evaluate All Results. This retrieves the deformation data
and displays it in both graph and tabular form.

3. Use the animation controls at the top of the Graph window.

4. It is important to change the magnification scale of the display in the geometry window so you can
get a true sense (or an exaggerated sense) of the deformation in your build. With Total Deformation
highlighted in the project tree, from the Result context tab, select the True Scale option from the
drop-down menu. Animate the results using the animation controls. Select other scales from the
drop-down menu to see exaggerated results.

Release 2025 R1 - © ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information
86 of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates.
Chapter 6: Supported G-Code Commands
Within a DED process simulation, we use G-Code commands to create clusters of elements that represent
the building sequence of the part. Since G-Code can contain extensions and variations specific to machine
tool manufacturers and control manufacturers, we focus on basic commands for linear movement (G00
and G01) and circular movement (CIP), and assume a planar tool path in the X-Y, X-Z, or Y-Z plane,
normal to print direction. The following table shows supported G-Code commands:

Command Function and Visualization UI Options Examples

Parameter
Arbitrary Switch Laser On N/A Laser On Commands to G01
command specify one or more
commands, comma M24
separated
Arbitrary Switch Laser Off N/A Laser Off Commands to G00
command specify one or more
commands, comma M28
separated
Arbitrary Movement X0.0 Y0.0 Z0.0 If previous Move Commands to G00 X1.0 Y0.0 Z0.0
command command is specify one or more G01 X1.0 Y0.0
Laser Off: Blue commands, comma
line from last separated G01 X1.0 Y0.0
position E1.0
Extrusion Tag
If previous option to On if
command is E-Parameter is
Laser On: defined
Green line
from last Show Positioning
position Lines option to Off
to suppress
visualization
CIP Circle defined by Green line Show Positioning Lines CIP I1=1.0 J1=1.0
intermediate position (I, segments option to Off to K1=0.0 X2.0 Y0.0
J, K) and end position (X, suppress visualization Z0.0
Y, Z) (p. 91)
X Linear movement X0.0 If previous Show Positioning Lines X1.0 Y0.0
command is option to Off to
Laser Off: Blue suppress visualization
line from last
position

If previous
command is

Release 2025 R1 - © ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information
of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates. 87
Supported G-Code Commands

Command Function and Visualization UI Options Examples

Parameter
Laser On:
Green line
from last
position
Y Linear movement Y0.0 If previous Show Positioning Lines Y1.0
command is option to Off to
Laser Off: Blue suppress visualization
line from last
position

If previous
command is
Laser On:
Green line
from last
position
Z Linear movement Z0.0 If previous Show Positioning Lines Z1.0
command is option to Off to
Laser Off: Blue suppress visualization
line from last
position

If previous
command is
Laser On:
Green line
from last
position
G90 Switch to absolute N/A Default G90
positioning for the
following commands G01 X1.0

G01 X2.0

G90 G01 X1.0

Z1.0
G91 Switch to relative N/A Default G91
positioning for the
following commands G01 X1.0

G01 X2.0

G91 G01 X1.0

Z1.0
F Feed Rate N/A F200
T Preheat Temperature N/A

Release 2025 R1 - © ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information
88 of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates.
Command Function and Visualization UI Options Examples
Parameter
G4 Dwell Time N/A G4 P700

The following
variations, as used
in various machines,
are supported:

• G4 Fnnn
(nnn in
seconds)

• G4 Xnnn
(nnn in
seconds)

• G4 Unnn
(nnn in
seconds)

• G4 Snnn
(nnn in
seconds)

• G4 Pnnn
(nnn in
milliseconds)

A G-Code file must be in ASCII format. Following is an example of a G-Code text file from the racetrack
example used throughout this document.
G00 X-100.0 Y-83.5 Z0.0
; First layer
G00 X-54.0 Y-83.5 Z3.0
G01 X-49.9 Y-104.2 ; Circle 1
G01 X-38.2 Y-121.7
G01 X-20.7 Y-133.4
G01 X0.0 Y-137.5
G01 X20.7 Y-133.4
G01 X38.2 Y-121.7
G01 X49.9 Y-104.2
G01 X54.0 Y-83.5
G01 X54.0 Y80.2 ; Y-Line 1
G01 X49.9 Y100.9 ; Circle 2
G01 X38.2 Y118.4
G01 X20.7 Y130.1
G01 X0.0 Y134.2
G01 X-20.7 Y130.1
G01 X-38.2 Y118.4
G01 X-49.9 Y100.9
G01 X-54.0 Y80.2
G01 X-54.0 Y-83.5 ; Y-Line 2
G00 X-54.0 Y-64.6
G01 X54.0 Y-64.6 ; X-Line 1
G00 X-54.0 Y63.4
G01 X54.0 Y63.4 ; X-Line 2
; Next layer
G00 X-54.0 Y-83.5 Z6.0

Release 2025 R1 - © ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information
of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates. 89
Supported G-Code Commands

G01 X-49.9 Y-104.2 ; Circle 1

G01 X-38.2 Y-121.7
G01 X-20.7 Y-133.4
G01 X0.0 Y-137.5
G01 X20.7 Y-133.4
G01 X38.2 Y-121.7
G01 X49.9 Y-104.2
G01 X54.0 Y-83.5
G01 X54.0 Y80.2 ; Y-Line 1
G01 X49.9 Y100.9 ; Circle 2
G01 X38.2 Y118.4
G01 X20.7 Y130.1
G01 X0.0 Y134.2
G01 X-20.7 Y130.1
G01 X-38.2 Y118.4
G01 X-49.9 Y100.9
G01 X-54.0 Y80.2
G01 X-54.0 Y-83.5 ; Y-Line 2
G00 X-54.0 Y-64.6
G01 X54.0 Y-64.6 ; X-Line 1
G00 X-54.0 Y63.4
G01 X54.0 Y63.4 ; X-Line 2
; Next layer
G00 X-54.0 Y-83.5 Z9.0
G01 X-49.9 Y-104.2 ; Circle 1
G01 X-38.2 Y-121.7
G01 X-20.7 Y-133.4
G01 X0.0 Y-137.5
G01 X20.7 Y-133.4
G01 X38.2 Y-121.7
G01 X49.9 Y-104.2
G01 X54.0 Y-83.5
G01 X54.0 Y80.2 ; Y-Line 1
G01 X49.9 Y100.9 ; Circle 2
G01 X38.2 Y118.4
G01 X20.7 Y130.1
G01 X0.0 Y134.2
G01 X-20.7 Y130.1
G01 X-38.2 Y118.4
G01 X-49.9 Y100.9
G01 X-54.0 Y80.2
G01 X-54.0 Y-83.5 ; Y-Line 2
G00 X-54.0 Y-64.6
G01 X54.0 Y-64.6 ; X-Line 1
G00 X-54.0 Y63.4
G01 X54.0 Y63.4 ; X-Line 2
; Next layer
G00 X-54.0 Y-83.5 Z12.0
G01 X-49.9 Y-104.2 ; Circle 1
G01 X-38.2 Y-121.7
G01 X-20.7 Y-133.4
G01 X0.0 Y-137.5
G01 X20.7 Y-133.4
G01 X38.2 Y-121.7
G01 X49.9 Y-104.2
G01 X54.0 Y-83.5
G01 X54.0 Y80.2 ; Y-Line 1
G01 X49.9 Y100.9 ; Circle 2
G01 X38.2 Y118.4
G01 X20.7 Y130.1
G01 X0.0 Y134.2
G01 X-20.7 Y130.1
G01 X-38.2 Y118.4
G01 X-49.9 Y100.9
G01 X-54.0 Y80.2
G01 X-54.0 Y-83.5 ; Y-Line 2
G00 X-54.0 Y-64.6
G01 X54.0 Y-64.6 ; X-Line 1
G00 X-54.0 Y63.4
G01 X54.0 Y63.4 ; X-Line 2

Release 2025 R1 - © ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information
90 of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates.
Circular Movement (CIP)
When using the CIP command for circular movement, two things are required:

1. CIP must be added to the Laser On Commands option (p. 101) in the G-Code Clustering ob-
ject (p. 100).

2. The circular movement must be defined correctly in the G-Code itself. Any arc can be defined
by three points. Within the G-Code file, the following points define an arc:

• Starting point—obtained from the last G-Code command position (that is, the line above
CIP)

• Intermediate point—indicated by (I,J,K) coordinates on the CIP command line

• End point—indicated by (X,Y,Z) coordinates on the CIP command line

In the following example, the laser is off while moving to position (0,0,2), the laser is on while moving
to (1,0,2), and the laser is on while moving in a circular movement from (1,0,2) up to an inflection point
at (0,1,2) and to an end point of (-1,0,2).
G0 X0.0 Y0.0 Z2.0
G1 X1.0 Y0.0 Z2.0
CIP I1=0.0 J1=1.0 K1=2.0 X-1.0 Y0.0 Z2.0

Release 2025 R1 - © ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information
of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates. 91
 Release 2025 R1 - © ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information
92 of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates.
Chapter 7: Object Reference
Specifications are provided for the following Mechanical application objects that are unique to the DED
Process Add-on:
7.1. AM Process for DED
7.2. Build Settings
7.3. G-Code Clustering
7.4. Manual Clustering
7.5. Cluster Settings

7.1. AM Process for DED

Identifies the geometries, source of material data, and base removal options in a DED process simulation.
Also sets global options for all AM-related objects.

Release 2025 R1 - © ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information
of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates. 93
Object Reference

Details (p. 94)

Tree
Dependencies (p. 95)

Insertion
Methods (p. 95)

Right-click
Options (p. 95)

Additional
Related
Information (p. 95)

7.1.1. Details
Category Description and Settings
Build Geometry The part to be printed.
Scoping Method: Choose Geometry Selection or Named Selection to identify the
part geometry.
Base Plate The base plate upon which the part rests.
Geometry
Scoping Method: Choose Geometry Selection or Named Selection to identify the
base plate geometry.
Removal Step Should the simulation include the removal of the part from the base plate?

Release 2025 R1 - © ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information
94 of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates.
 Build Settings

Removal Step: No or Yes - If No (default), simulation does not include the removal
of the part from the baseplate.

If Yes, simulation includes the removal of the part from the base plate. Scoping
Method: Choose Geometry Selection or Named Selection to identify the base
plate geometry.
Material The deposition material.
Source: Engineering Data/Input file - Choose Engineering Data to use a predefined
material.

Or choose Input file and then specify Input File Print Material and Input
File Base Material. Files must be in ASCII format with [Link] extension.

7.1.2. Tree Dependencies

• Valid Parent Tree Object: Model

• Valid Child Tree Objects: Build Settings (p. 95), G-Code Clustering (p. 100), Manual Clustering (p. 105)

7.1.3. Insertion Methods

• Inserted under the Model object in the project tree by default when using the DED Process Wizard.

• Select the DED Process tab and then click the DED Process button in the ribbon.

7.1.4. Right-click Options

Relevant right-click options include:

• Generate: Generates element clusters using the path defined in either the Manual Clustering
or G-Code Clustering child object.

• Clear Generated Data: Clears clusters that have already been generated.

7.1.5. Additional Related Information

Identify Geometries (p. 18)

7.2. Build Settings

Establishes settings and conditions related to a DED additive manufacturing process and machine.

Release 2025 R1 - © ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information
of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates. 95
Object Reference

Details (p. 97)

Tree
Dependencies (p. 100)

Insertion
Methods (p. 100)

Right-click
Options (p. 100)

Additional
Related
Information (p. 100)

Showing alternative heating and cooling methods:

Release 2025 R1 - © ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information
96 of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates.
 Build Settings

7.2.1. Details
Category Description and Settings
Machine Settings Process parameters that vary for each DED machine and deposition material.
Material Deposition Rate: The feeding rate of the melted material, in mm3/sec.
This value can be determined by multiplying layer thickness (mm) x weld width
(mm) x deposition speed (mm/sec).
Build Conditions The environment in the build chamber around the part as it is being printed,
including the preheat temperature.
Preheat Temperature: The starting temperature of the base plate.
Scoping Method: Choose Geometry Selection or Named Selection to identify the
bottom face of the base plate that is preheated.
Preheat During Printing: Off/On - If set to Off (default), the preheat temperature
is applied in only the first load step. On maintains the preheat temperature
throughout the complete build process.

Release 2025 R1 - © ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information
of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates. 97
Object Reference

Heating Method: The method used to heat up the material. Choose Power Based
or Temperature Based (default).

Power Based: Heating is based on laser power and material absorptivity.

• Power: The power of the laser in Watts.

• Absorptivity: The average fraction of energy that is absorbed by the

deposited material and contributes to the heating process. Value must
be between 0 and 1. Defaults to 0.4, or 40%.

Temperature Based: Heating is based on the process temperature.

• Process Temperature: The temperature of the feed material as it is

exiting the nozzle—usually melting temperature or above. When using
the DED Process wizard, this value automatically defaults to the build
material's melting temperature.

Room Temperature: Temperature of the gas in the build chamber during the
build.
Gas Convection Coefficient Build: Convection coefficient from the part to the
surrounding gas in the chamber during printing. Convection is applied to the
element surfaces of every element cluster, which can be especially relevant in the
case of a bulky structure.
Gas Convection Coefficient Base Plate: Convection coefficient from the base
plate to the surrounding gas in the chamber during printing.
Radiation: Off/On - If set to Off (default), the radiation effect between the
build/base and surrounding environment is not considered during printing. Setting
the option to On enables the radiation effect between the build/base and
surrounding environment during printing.

• Emissivity Build: The emissivity of the part during printing.

• Emissivity Base Plate: The emissivity of the base surface during printing.

Thermal Calibration: Off/On - If set to Off, default heating and cooling behavior
is used for cluster deposition. Setting the option to On allows you to change the
Cluster Cooling Time Ratio, essentially using it as a calibration factor.

• Cluster Cooling Time Ratio: A value between 0 and 1 (default).

The total deposition time, t, for each cluster is determined by the volume
of the cluster and the deposition rate. By default, a very tiny fraction of this
total time (1e-6 seconds) is used to raise the temperature to the Process
Temperature, and the remainder is used for cooling. Use the Cluster Cooling
Time Ratio to adjust the heating and cooling distribution. Lowering this
value from the default of 1 has the effect of lowering cooling time, thereby
increasing heating time. For example, a value of 0.8 means 20% of time, t,
is used for heating and 80% for cooling (during printing). The lower the
number, the higher the temperature spikes that will exist in the thermal
history across the part.

Release 2025 R1 - © ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information
98 of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates.
 Build Settings

Cooldown The environment in the build chamber around the part in the cooldown step after
Conditions the last layer is printed.
Cooling Time: The duration of the cooldown process, in seconds.
Number of Cooling Steps: The number of substeps within the cooldown
calculation. Defaults to 10.
Room Temperature: Temperature of the gas in the build chamber during
cooldown.
Gas Convection Coefficient Build: Convection coefficient from the part to the
surrounding gas in the chamber during cooldown.
Gas Convection Coefficient Base Plate: Convection coefficient from the base
plate to the surrounding gas in the chamber during cooldown.
Radiation: Off/On - If set to Off (default), the radiation effect between the
build/base and surrounding environment is not considered during cooldown.
Setting the option to On enables the radiation effect between the build/base and
surrounding environment during cooldown.

• Emissivity Build: The emissivity of the part during cooldown.

• Emissivity Base Plate: The emissivity of the base surface during cooldown.

Cooldown Options to automatically adjust the dwell time between layers as measured after
Between Layers the last cluster in a layer is deposited.
Cooldown Method: Choose Time Based or Temperature Based.

Time Based: The dwell time between layers is read from the Cluster Settings
table (p. 70).

Temperature Based: Uses a Target Temperature together with time step and
convergence options to automatically adjust dwell time. As soon as one of
the convergence options is achieved, deposition of the next layer is started.

When this method is chosen, the Dwell Time column is set to Off in the Cluster
Settings table (p. 70) before and during the transient thermal solution. Once
the thermal solution is completed, the table is updated to reflect the calculated
dwell times.

• Target Temperature: Temperature to cool down to before printing

the next layer.

• Time Step Size: The time increment, in seconds, before each solve
command during this iterative cooling process.

• Maximum Iterations per Layer: The maximum number of solve

commands/iterations per layer. Defaults to 5.

• Convergence Threshold: Percent change in maximum temperature

from this iteration to the previous iteration. If the change in maximum
temperature in the layer is less than or equal to this value, the layer
cooldown is considered converged. This is another way of controlling
the number of iterations per layer. Defaults to 0.1, or 10%.

Release 2025 R1 - © ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information
of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates. 99
Object Reference

7.2.2. Tree Dependencies

• Valid Parent Tree Object: AM Process for DED (p. 93)

• Valid Child Tree Objects: None

7.2.3. Insertion Methods

• Inserted automatically when the AM Process for DED object is added.

7.2.4. Right-click Options

Relevant right-click options include:

• Save Build Settings: Saves the configuration of your build settings as an XML file. The property
values are always saved in Consistent MKS Unit System.

• Load Build Settings: Imports a build settings XML file. Once loaded, the settings populate
the properties of the Details pane. Sample build settings XML files are available in: [Ansys In-
stallation Directory]\aisol\DesignSpace\DSPages\SampleData\AdditiveManufacturing.

• Reset to Default: Resets build settings to default values.

7.2.5. Additional Related Information

Define Build Settings (p. 44)

7.3. G-Code Clustering

Controls element clustering using a G-Code file in a DED process simulation.

Details (p. 101)

Tree
Dependencies (p. 104)

Insertion
Methods (p. 104)

Right-click
Options (p. 104)

Additional
Related
Information (p. 105)

Release 2025 R1 - © ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information
100 of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates.
 G-Code Clustering

7.3.1. Details
Category Description and Settings
Import G-Code File Identification of G-Code file.
G-Code File: Name of the file containing the G-Code. The G-Code file must be
a flat file with ASCII characters.
Clustering Options Options to control the size of the element clusters, print direction, and clustering
technique. These options have an influence on simulation time and accuracy.
Cluster Volume: Volume, in mm3, of each cluster. This value determines how
many elements are activated per load step, and the time for this load step is
then determined by volume/deposition rate. A smaller cluster volume tends to
provide a more accurate result.

Release 2025 R1 - © ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information
of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates. 101
Object Reference

Print Direction: The direction of increasing layers in which the part is to be

built. Choose X, Y, Z, -X, -Y, -Z, or Multi-axis for the print direction. Defaults to
Z direction.

If Multi-axis, additional options are:

• Force Cluster at Laser Off: Yes (default) or No - Controls whether

or not a cluster is forced at the end of each layer end. If No, clusters
are generated based on volume only.

• Connectivity Check: Yes (default) or No - Checks for and corrects

badly connected elements if they exist. A badly connected element
is one that: a) is not face-connected with any other elements of the
current cluster and b) is not face-connected to any activated
elements and c) is not in contact with the base. The connectivity
check occurs during clustering and may cause the operation to take
longer. Consider setting it to No to save time when working on
preliminary simulation setup. Set Connectivity Check back to Yes
for your final (non preliminary) simulation.

G-Code Options Controls for interpreting the G-Code.

Move Commands: Defines the G-Code commands for pure movement. Multiple
commands can be specified using comma separation, such as G00, G01.
Laser On Commands: Defines the G-Code command(s) for switching the laser
to on (Laser On). All following move commands are used for element clustering
until a Laser Off command is found. Multiple commands can be specified using
comma separation, such as M24, M174.
Laser Off Commands: Defines the G-Code command(s) for switching the laser
to off (Laser Off ). All following move commands are not used for element
clustering until a Laser On command is found. Multiple commands can be
specified using comma separation, such as M28, M175.
Extrusion Tag: On/Off - G-Code commands may be extended by an extrusion
tag “E.” This can be used to additionally control if material is deposited or not.
With the Extrusion Tag option set to On, only commands with the “E”-tag are
considered for subsequent element clustering. Default setting is Off.
Combine Layers: On/Off - For multi-body parts, named selection folders from
the different bodies that represent clusters at the same build-direction height
can be combined. Useful for reducing the number of named selections but
does not affect the element clustering itself. If Off (default), layers are not
combined.
Ignore Layers: Layers to be excluded from element clustering. Multiple layer
numbers can be excluded using comma separated values. For example, 2,3
ignores the layers two and three from subsequent element clustering, so the
clusters are divided into two instead of four layers. The default is 0, which
includes all layers for element clustering (that is, 0 exclusions).
Definition Sets advanced controls for Feed Rate, Preheat Temperature, and Dwell Time.

Release 2025 R1 - © ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information
102 of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates.
 G-Code Clustering

Read Feed Rate: Yes or No. If Yes (default), feed rate commands will be read
from the G-Code file and used in the simulation.

• Feed Rate Command: Defines the G-Code command for switching to

a new feed rate. Defaults to F.

Read Preheat Temperature: Yes or No. If Yes (default), preheat temperature

commands will be read from the G-Code file and used in the simulation.

• Preheat Temperature Command: Defines the G-Code command for

switching to a new preheat temperature. Defaults to T.

Read Dwell Time: Yes or No. If Yes (default), dwell time commands will be read
from the G-Code file and used in the simulation.

• Dwell Time Command: Defines the G-Code command for switching to

a new dwell time. Defaults to G4.

G-Code Transformation The G-Code path must be correctly aligned on top of the build part to ensure
proper element cluster generation. Use these translation and rotation offset
options to position the G-Code path in relation to the build part, if necessary.
Rotation is allowed only in the printing direction, so once the Print Direction
field is specified, the rotation options for directions other than Print Direction
are grayed out. See more details about G-Code alignment (p. 53).
Translate X: Defines the offset in the print direction with respect to the actual
X, Y, or Z positions defined in the G-Code file.
Translate Y: Offset in the Y direction.
Translate Z: Offset in the Z direction.
Rotate X: Defines the rotation about the X axis positions defined in the G-Code
file. Rotation is only allowed in the printing direction.
Rotate Y: Defines the rotation about the Y axis positions defined in the G-Code
file. Rotation is only allowed in the printing direction
Rotate Z: Defines the rotation about the Z axis positions defined in the G-Code
file. Rotation is only allowed in the printing direction
G-Code Path Controls the appearance of the G-Code path in the geometry window when
Visualization
the Show Path button in the DED Process ribbon is on/pressed. The path
is redrawn any time one of the options is changed. Visualization settings have
no influence on element clustering itself.
Path Layers to Show: Path layers from the G-Code file to display. Enter a range
of values with a hyphen and multiple values separated by commas. For example,
1-10, 25-30 displays layers 1 through 10 and 25 through 30. The value 0 displays
all layers and is the default setting.
Show Every n-th Layer: Displays every n-th path layer of the designated Path
Layers to Show. For example, the value 2 displays every second layer, 3 displays
every third layer, and so on. The value 1 displays all layers designated in Path
Layers to Show and is the default setting.

Release 2025 R1 - © ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information
of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates. 103
Object Reference

Animation Frames: Animation frames in which the designated Path Layers to

Show are rendered. Click the Show Path button to render the animation.
The value 1 displays all Path Layers to Show in a single animation frame, that
is, all at once. The value 2 divides the Path Layers to Show across two animation
frames, rendering half of the layers first and then the other half. The greater
the amount of Animation Frames, the clearer the G-Code path progression will
be. The default setting is 10. Values greater than the total number of layers in
Path Layers to Show are rendered with Animation Frames equal to the total
number of layers in Path Layers to Show. Because the animation rate is fast,
this option is most useful when visualizing large models and is less useful when
visualizing smaller models.
Line Segments for Arc: The graphical display of an arc path is approximated
by a number of lines in the geometry window. The number of lines per arc can
be modified, a useful option for G-Code files with many arcs in order to speed
up the graphical display. The default number of line segments is 5.
Show Positioning Lines: On/Off - On (default) displays the rapid movement
commands in the G-Code. Off suppresses the display of rapid movement
commands.
G-Code Statistics Read-only indications after generation of element clusters.
Layers: After generation of element clusters, shows the number of path layers
in the part. This number includes the rapid movements without material
deposition.
Lines: After generation of element clusters, shows the number of lines in the
weld path.

7.3.2. Tree Dependencies

• Valid Parent Tree Object: AM Process for DED (p. 93)

• Valid Child Tree Objects: None

7.3.3. Insertion Methods

• Inserted under the AM Process for DED object in the project tree automatically by the DED Process
Wizard if G-Code is selected.

• Select the DED Process tab and then click the G-Code Clustering button in the ribbon.

7.3.4. Right-click Options

Relevant right-click options include:

• Generate: Generates the element clusters using the path defined in the G-Code file.

• Clear Generated Data: Clears any generated clusters.

Release 2025 R1 - © ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information
104 of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates.
 Manual Clustering

• Open DED Clustering Directory: Opens the file directory where G-Code cluster-related files
are stored. You can edit the [Link] file, which is the output file from
the cluster generation process. After editing, click Update Clusters and Settings.

• Update Clusters and Settings: Regenerates the Named Selections and updates cluster settings
but does not rerun the clustering algorithm.

• Show G-Code Path: Displays the G-Code path (p. 50) on the geometry.

• Clear G-Code Path: Hides the display of the G-Code path on the geometry.

7.3.5. Additional Related Information

Element Clustering: G-Code Approach (p. 49)

7.4. Manual Clustering

Controls element clustering using a manual clustering technique in a DED process simulation.

Details (p. 105)

Tree Dependencies (p. 106)

Insertion Methods (p. 106)

Right-click Options (p. 106)

Additional Related
Information (p. 106)

7.4.1. Details
Category Description and Settings
Definition Controls the size and direction of the element clusters.
Cluster Volume: Volume, in mm3, of each cluster. This value determines how many
elements are activated per load step, and the time for this load step is then

Release 2025 R1 - © ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information
of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates. 105
Object Reference

determined by volume/deposition rate. A smaller cluster volume tends to provide

a more accurate result.
Print Direction: The direction of increasing layers in which the part is to be built.

7.4.2. Tree Dependencies

• Valid Parent Tree Object: AM Process for DED (p. 93)

• Valid Child Tree Objects: None

7.4.3. Insertion Methods

• Inserted under the AM Process for DED object in the project tree automatically by the DED Process
Wizard if Manual Clustering is selected.

• Select the DED Process tab and then click the Manual Clustering button in the ribbon.

7.4.4. Right-click Options

Relevant right-click options include:

• Generate: Generates element clusters.

• Clear Generated Data: Clears any generated clusters.

7.4.5. Additional Related Information

Element Clustering: Manual Approach (p. 47)

7.5. Cluster Settings

Table for importing, exporting, and modifying machine parameters for clusters in a DED process simu-
lation.

Release 2025 R1 - © ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information
106 of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates.
 Cluster Settings

Details (p. 108)

Tree
Dependencies (p. 108)

Insertion
Methods (p. 109)
Right-click
Options (p. 109)

Additional
Related
Information (p. 109)

The Cluster Settings table below appears in the Worksheet area of the UI when the Cluster Setting object
is selected.

Release 2025 R1 - © ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information
of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates. 107
Object Reference

7.5.1. Details
Category Description and Settings
Definition Number of Clusters: Read-only indication of the number of clusters in the
model.

7.5.2. Tree Dependencies

• Valid Parent Tree Object: AM Process for DED (p. 93)

• Valid Child Tree Objects: None

Release 2025 R1 - © ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information
108 of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates.
 Cluster Settings

7.5.3. Insertion Methods

• Inserted under the AM Process for DED object in the project tree automatically when either the
Manual Clustering (p. 105) or G-Code Clustering (p. 100) object is inserted. (Manual Clustering and
G-Code Clustering are inserted either by the DED Setup Wizard or by manual insertion.)

7.5.4. Right-click Options

Relevant right-click options include:

• Update Data for Simulation: Applies any modifications from the Cluster Settings table to the
simulation.

7.5.5. Additional Related Information

Using the Cluster Settings Table (p. 70)

Release 2025 R1 - © ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information
of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates. 109
 Release 2025 R1 - © ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved. - Contains proprietary and confidential information
110 of ANSYS, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates.